(NOTE: The electronic text obtained from The Electronic Bible Society was
not completely corrected. EWTN has corrected all discovered errors.)
Transliteration of Greek words: All phonetical except: w = omega; h serves
three puposes: 1. = Eta; 2. = rough breathing, when appearing intially
before a vowel; 3. = in the aspirated letters theta = th, phi = ph, chi =
ch. Accents are given immediately after their corresponding vowels: acute =
' , grave = `, circumflex = ^. The character ' doubles as an apostrophe,
when necessary.
JUSTIN MARTYR
DIALOGUE OF JUSTIN, PHILOSPHER AND MARTYR, with TRYPHO, A JEW.
CHAP. I.--INTRODUCTION.
WHILE I was going about one morning in the walks of the Xystus,(1) a
certain man, with others in his company, having met me, and said, " Hail O
philosopher!" And immediately after saying this, he turned round and walked
along with me; his friends likewise followed him. And I in turn having
addressed him, said, " What is there important ?"
And he replied, "I was instructed," says he "by Corinthus the Socratic
in Argos, that I ought not to despise or treat with indifference those who
array themselves in this dress,(2) but to show them all kindness, and to
associate with them, as perhaps some advantage would spring from the
intercourse either to some such man or to myself. It is good, moreover, for
both, if either the one or the other be benefited. On this account,
therefore, whenever I see any one in such costume, I gladly approach him,
and now, for the same reason, have I willingly accosted you; and these
accompany me, in the expectation of hearing for themselves something profit
able from you."
"But who are you, most excellent man?" So I replied to him in jest.(3)
Then he told me frankly both his name and his family. "Trypho," says
he, " I am called and I am a Hebrew of the circumcision,(4) and having
escaped from the war(5) lately carried on there, I am spending my days in
Greece, and chiefly at Corinth."
"And in what," said I, "would you be profited by philosophy so much as
by your own lawgiver and the prophets?"
"Why not?" he replied. "Do not the philosophers turn every discourse on
God? and do not questions continually arise to them about His unity and
providence? Is not this truly the duty of philosophy, to investigate the
Deity?"
"Assuredly," said I, "so we too have believed. But the most(6) have not
taken thought of this, whether there be one or more gods, and whether they
have a regard for each one of us or no, as if this knowledge contributed
nothing to our happiness; nay, they moreover attempt to persuade us that
God takes care of the universe with its genera and species, but not of me
and you, and each individually, since otherwise we would surely not need to
pray to Him night and day. But it is not difficult to understand the upshot
of this; for fearlessness and license in speaking result to such as
maintain these opinions, doing and saying whatever they choose, neither
dreading punishment nor hoping for any benefit from God. For how could
they? They affirm that the same things shall always happen; and, further,
that I and you shall again live in like manner, having become neither
better men nor worse. But there are some others,(7) who, having supposed
the soul to be immortal and immaterial, believe that though they have
committed evil they will not suffer punishment (for that which is
immaterial is insensible), and that the solll, in consequence of its
immortality, needs nothing from God."
And he, smiling gently, said, "Tell us your opinion of these matters,
and what idea you entertain respecting God, and what your philosophy is."
CHAP. II.--JUSTIN DESCRIBES HIS STUDIES IN PHILOSOPHY.
"I will tell you," said I, "what seems to me; for philosophy is, in
fact, the greatest possession, and most honourable before God,(1) to whom
it leads us and alone commends us; and these are truly holy men who have
bestowed attention on philosophy. What philosophy is, however, and the
reason why it has been sent down to men, have escaped the observation of
most; for there would be neither Platonists, nor Stoics, nor Peripatetics,
nor Theoretics,(2) nor Pythagoreans, this knowledge being one.(3) I wish to
tell you why it has become many-headed. It has happened that those who
first handled it [i.e., philosophy], and who were therefore esteemed
illustrious men, were succeeded by those who made no investigations
concerning truth, but only admired the perseverance and self-discipline of
the former, as well as the novelty of the doctrines; and each thought that
to be true which he learned from his teacher: then, moreover, those latter
persons handed down to their successors such things, and others similar to
them; and this system was called by the name of him who was styled the
father of the doctrine. Being at first desirous of personally conversing
with one of these men, I surrendered myself to a certain Stoic; and having
spent a considerable time with him, when I had not acquired any further
knowledge of God (for he did not know himself, and said such instruction
was unnecessary), I left him and betook myself to another, who was called a
Peripatetic, and as he fancied, shrewd. And this man, after having
entertained me for the first few days, requested me to settle the fee, in
order that our intercourse might not be unprofitable. Him, too, for this
reason I abandoned, believing him to be no philosopher at all. But when my
soul was eagerly desirous to hear the peculiar and choice philosophy, I
came to a Pythagorean, very celebrated--a man who thought much of his own
wisdom. And then, when I had an interview with him, willing to become his
hearer and disciple, he said, 'What then? Are you acquainted with music,
astronomy, and geometry? Do you expect to perceive any of those things
which conduce to a happy life, if you have not been first informed on those
points which wean the soul from sensible objects, and render it fitted for
objects which appertain to the mind, so that it can contemplate that which
is honourable in its essence and that which is good in its essence?' Having
commended many of these branches of learning, and telling me that they were
necessary, he dismissed me when I confessed to him my ignorance.
Accordingly I took it rather impatiently, as was to be expected when I
failed in my hope, the more so because I deemed the man had some knowledge;
but reflecting again on the space of time during which I would have to
linger over those branches of learning, I was not able to endure longer
procrastination. In my helpless condition it occurred to me to have a
meeting with the Platonists, for their fame was great. I thereupon spent as
much of my time as possible with one who had lately settled in our
city,(4)--a sagacious man, holding a high position among the Platonists,--
and I progressed, and made the greatest improvements daily. And the
perception of immaterial things quite overpowered me, and the contemplation
of ideas furnished my mind with wings,(5) so that in a little while I
supposed that I had become wise; and such was my stupidity, I expected
forthwith to look upon God, for this is the end of Plato's philosophy.
CHAP. III.--JUSTIN NARRATES THE MANNER OF HIS CONVERSION.
"And while I was thus disposed, when I wished at one period to be
filled with great quietness, and to shun the path of men, I used to go into
a certain field not far from the sea. And when I was near that spot one
day, which having reached I purposed to be by myself, a certain old man, by
no means contemptible in appearance, exhibiting meek and venerable manners,
followed me at a little distance. And when I turned round to him, having
halted, I fixed my eyes rather keenly on him.
"And he said, 'Do you know me?'
"I replied in the negative.
"'Why, then,' said he to me, 'do you so look at me?'
"'I am astonished,' I said, 'because you have chanced to be in my
company in the same place; for I had not expected to see any man here.'
"And he says to me, 'I am concerned about some of my household. These
are gone away from me; and therefore have I come to make personal search
for them, if, perhaps, they shall make their appearance somewhere. But why
are you here?' said he to me.
"'I delight,' said I, 'in such walks, where my attention is not
distracted, for converse with myself is uninterrupted; and such places are
most fit for philology.'(6)
"'Are you, then, a philologian,'(7) said he,(4) but no lover of deeds
or of truth? and do you not aim at being a practical man so much as being a
sophist?'
"'What greater work,' said I, 'could one accomplish than this, to show
the reason which governs all, and having laid hold of it, and being mounted
upon it, to look down on the errors of others, and their pursuits? But
without philosophy and right reason, prudence would not be present to any
man. Wherefore it is necessary for every man to philosophize, and to esteem
this the greatest and most honourable work; but other things only of
second-rate or third-rate importance, though, indeed, if they be made to
depend on philosophy, they are of moderate value, and worthy of acceptance;
but deprived of it, and not accompanying it, they are vulgar and coarse to
those who pursue them.'
"'Does philosophy, then, make happiness?' said he, interrupting.
"'Assuredly,' I said, 'and it alone.'
"'What, then, is philosophy?' he says; 'and what is happiness? Pray
tell me, unless something hinders you from saying.'
"'Philosophy, then,' said I, 'is the knowledge of that which really
exists, and a clear perception of the truth; and happiness is the reward of
such knowledge and wisdom.'
"'But what do you call God?' said he.
"'That which always maintains the same nature, and in the same manner,
and is the cause of all other things--that, indeed, is God.' So I answered
him; and he listened to me with pleasure, and thus again interrogated me:--
"'Is not knowledge a term common to different matters? For in arts of
all kinds, he who knows any one of them is called a skilful man in the art
of generalship, or of ruling, or of healing equally. But in divine and
human affairs it is not so. Is there a knowledge which affords
understanding of human and divine things, and then a thorough acquaintance
with the divinity and the righteousness of them?'
"'Assuredly,' I replied.
"'What, then? Is it in the same way we know man and' God, as we know
music, and arithmetic, and astronomy, or any other similar branch?'
"'By no means,' I replied.
"'You have not answered me correctly, then,' he said; 'for some
[branches of knowledge] come to us by learning, or by some employment,
while of others we have knowledge by sight. Now, if one were to tell you
that there exists in India an animal with a nature unlike all others, but
of such and such a kind, multiform and various, you would not know it
before you saw it; but neither would you be competent to give any account
of it, unless you should hear from one who had seen it.'
"'Certainly not,' I said.
"'How then,' he said, 'should the philosophers judge correctly about
God, or speak any truth, when they have no knowledge of Him, having neither
seen Him at any time, nor heard Him?'
"'But, father,' said I, 'the Deity cannot be seen merely by the eyes,
as other living beings can, but is discernible to the mind alone, as Plato
says; and I believe him.'
CHAP. IV.--THE SOUL OF ITSELF CANNOT SEE GOD.
"'Is there then,' says he, 'such and so great power in our mind? Or can
a man not perceive by sense sooner? Will the mind of man see God at any
time, if it is uninstructed by the Holy Spirit?'
"'Plato indeed says,' replied I, 'that the mind's eye is of such a
nature, and has been given for this end, that we may see that very Being
when the mind is pure itself, who is the cause of all discerned by the
mind, having no colour, no form, no greatness--nothing, indeed, which the
bodily eye looks upon; but It is something of this sort, he goes on to say,
that is beyond all essence, unutterable and inexplicable, but alone
honourable and good, coming suddenly into souls well-dispositioned, on
account of their affinity to and desire of seeing Him.'
"'What affinity, then,' replied he, 'is there between us and God? Is
the soul also divine and immortal, and a part of that very regal mind? And
even as that sees God, so also is it attainable by us to conceive of the
Deity in our mind, and thence to become happy?'
"'Assuredly,' I said.
"'And do all the souls of all living beings comprehend Him?' he asked;
'or are the souls of men of one kind and the souls of horses and of asses
of another kind?'
"'No; but the souls which are in all are similar,' I answered.
"'Then,' says he, 'shall both horses and asses see, or have they seen
at some time or other, God?'
"'No,' I said; 'for the majority of men will not, saving such as shall
live justly, purified by righteousness, and by every other virtue.'
"'It is not, therefore,' said he, 'on account of his affinity, that a
man sees God, nor because he has a mind, but because he is temperate and
righteous?'
"'Yes,' said I; 'and because he has that whereby he perceives God.'
"'What then? Do goats or sheep injure any one?'
"'No one in any respect,' I said.
"'Therefore these animals will see [God] according to your account,'
says he.
"'No; for their body being of such a nature, is an obstacle to them.'
"He rejoined,' If these animals could assume speech, be well assured
that they would with greater reason ridicule our body; but let us now
dismiss this subject, and let it be conceded to you as you say. Tell me,
however, this: Does the soul see [God] so long as it is in the body, or
after it has been removed from it?'
"'So long as it is in the form of a man, it is possible for it,' I
continue, 'to attain to this by means of the mind; but especially when it
has been set free from the body, and being apart by itself, it gets
possession of that which it was wont continually and wholly to love.'
"'Does it remember this, then [the sight of God], when it is again in
the man?'
"'It does not appear to me so,' I said.
"'What, then, is the advantage to those who have seen [God]? or what
has he who has seen more than he who has not seen, unless he remember this
fact, that he has seen?'
"'I cannot tell,' I answered.
"'And what do those suffer who are judged to be unworthy of this
spectacle?' said he.
"'They are imprisoned in the bodies of certain wild beasts, and this is
their punishment.'
"'Do they know, then, that it is for this reason they are in such
forms, and that they have committed some sin?'
"'I do not think so.'
"'Then these reap no advantage from their punishment, as it seems:
moreover, I would say that they are not punished unless they are conscious
of the punishment.'
"'No indeed.'
"'Therefore souls neither see God nor trans-migrate into other bodies;
for they would know that so they are punished, and they would be afraid to
commit even the most trivial sin afterwards. But that they can perceive
that God exists, and that righteousness and piety are honourable, I also
quite agree with you,' said he.
"'You are right,' I replied.
CHAP. V.--THE SOUL IS NOT IN ITS OWN NATURE IMMORTAL.
"'These philosophers know nothing, then, about these things; for they
cannot tell what a soul is.'
"'It does not appear so.'
"'Nor ought it to be called immortal; for if it is immortal, it is
plainly unbegotten.'
"'It is both unbegotten and immortal, according to some who are styled
Platonists.'
"'Do you say that the world is also unbegotten?'
"'Some say so. I do not, however, agree with them.'
"'You are right; for what reason has one for supposing that a body so
solid, possessing resistance, composite, changeable, decaying, and renewed
every day, has not arisen from some cause? But if the world is begotten,
souls also are necessarily begotten; and perhaps at one time they were not
in existence, for they were made on account of men and other living
creatures, if you will say that they have been begotten wholly apart, and
not along with their respective bodies.' "'This seems to be correct.'
"'They are not, then, immortal?'
"'No; since the world has appeared to us to be begotten.'
"'But I do not say, indeed, that all souls die; for that were truly a
piece of good fortune to the evil. What then? The souls of the pious
remain in a better place, while those of the unjust and wicked are in a
worse, waiting for the time of judgment. Thus some which have appeared
worthy of God never die; but others are punished so long as God wills them
to exist and to be punished.'
"'Is what you say, then, of a like nature with that which Plato in
Timoeus hints about the world, when he says that it is indeed subject to
decay, inasmuch as it has been created, but that it will neither be
dissolved nor meet with the fate of death on account of the will of God?
Does it seem to you the very same can be said of the soul, and generally of
all things? For those things which exist after(1) God, or shall at any time
exist,(2) these have the nature of decay, and are such as may be blotted
out and cease to exist; for God alone is unbegotten and incorruptible, and
therefore He is God, but all other things after Him are created and
corruptible. For this reason souls both die and are punished: since, if
they were unbegotten, they would neither sin, nor be filled with folly, nor
be cowardly, and again ferocious; nor would they willingly transform into
swine, and serpents, and dogs and it would not indeed be just to compel
them, if they be unbegotten. For that which is unbegotten is similar to,
equal to, and the same with that which is unbegotten; and neither in power
nor in honour should the one be preferred to the other, and hence there are
not many things which are unbegotten: for if there were some difference
between them, you would not discover the cause of the difference, though
you searched for it; but after letting the mind ever wander to infinity,
you would at length, wearied out, take your stand on one Unbegotten, and
say that this is the Cause of all. Did such escape the observation of Plato
and Pythagoras, those wise men,' I said, 'who have been as a wall and
fortress of philosophy to us?'
CHAP. VI.--THESE THINGS WERE UNKNOWN TO PLATO AND OTHER PHILOSOPHERS.
"'It makes no matter to me,' said he, 'whether Plato or Pythagoras, or,
in short, any other man held such opinions. For the truth is so; and you
would perceive it from this. The soul assuredly is or has life. If, then,
it is life, it would cause something else, and not itself, to live, even as
motion would move something else than itself. Now, that the soul lives, no
one would deny. But if it lives, it lives not as being life, but as the
partaker of life; but that which partakes of anything, is different from
that of which it does partake. Now the soul partakes of life, since God
wills it to live. Thus, then, it will not even partake [of life] when God
does not will it to live. For to live is not its attribute, as it is God's;
but as a man does not live always, and the soul is not for ever conjoined
with the body, since, whenever this harmony must be broken up, the soul
leaves the body, and the man exists no longer; even so, whenever the soul
must cease to exist, the spirit of life is removed from it, and there is no
more soul, but it goes back to the place from whence it was taken.'
CHAP. VII.--THE KNOWLEDGE OF TRUTH TO BE SOUGHT FROM THE PROPHETS ALONE.
"'Should any one, then, employ a teacher?' I say, 'or whence may any
one be helped, if not even in them there is truth?'
"'There existed, long before this time, certain men more ancient than
all those who are esteemed philosophers, both righteous and beloved by God,
who spoke by the Divine Spirit, and foretold events which would take place,
and which are now taking place. They are called prophets. These alone both
saw and announced the truth to men, neither reverencing nor fearing any
man, not influenced by a desire for glory, but speaking those things alone
which they saw and which they heard, being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Their writings are still extant, and he who has read them is very much
helped in his knowledge of the beginning and end of things, and of those
matters which the philosopher ought to know, provided he has believed them.
For they did not use demonstration in their treatises, seeing that they
were witnesses to the truth above all demonstration, and worthy of belief;
and those events which have happened, and those which are happening, compel
you to assent to the utterances made by them, although, indeed, they were
entitled to credit on account of the miracles which they performed, since
they both glorified the Creator, the God and Father of all things, and
proclaimed His Son, the Christ [sent] by Him: which, indeed, the false
prophets, who are filled with the lying unclean spirit, neither have done
nor do, but venture to work certain wonderful deeds for the purpose of
astonishing men, and glorify the spirits and demons of error. But pray
that, above all things, the gates of light may be opened to you; for these
things cannot be perceived or understood by all, but only by the man to
whom God and His Christ have imparted wisdom.'
CHAP. VIII.--JUSTIN BY HIS COLLOQUY IS KINDLED WITH LOVE TO CHRIST.
"When he had spoken these and many other things, which there is no time
for mentioning at present, he went away, bidding me attend to them; and I
have not seen him since. But straightway a flame was kindled in my soul;
and a love of the prophets, and of those men who are friends of Christ,
possessed me; and whilst revolving his words in my mind, I found this
philosophy alone to be safe and profitable. Thus, and for this reason, I am
a philosopher. Moreover, I would wish that all, making a resolution similar
to my own, do not keep themselves away from the words of the Saviour. For
they possess a terrible power in themselves, and are sufficient to inspire
those who turn aside from the path of rectitude with awe; while the
sweetest rest is afforded those who make a diligent practice of them. If,
then, you have any concern for yourself, and if you are eagerly looking for
salvation, and if you believe in God, you may--since you are not
indifferent to the matter.(1)--become acquainted with the Christ of God,
and, after being initiated,(2) live a happy life."
When I had said this, my beloved friends,(3) those who were with Trypho
laughed; but he, smiling, says, "I approve of your other remarks, and
admire the eagerness with which you study divine things; but it were better
for you still to abide in the philosophy of Plato, or of some other man,
cultivating endurance, self-control, and moderation, rather than be
deceived by false words, and follow the opinions of men of no reputation.
For if you remain in that mode of philosophy, and live blamelessly, a hope
of a better destiny were left to you; but when you have forsaken God, and
reposed confidence in man, what safety still awaits you? If, then, you are
willing to listen to me (for I have already considered you a friend), first
be circumcised, then observe what ordinances have been enacted with respect
to the Sabbath, and the feasts, and the new moons of God; and, in a word,
do all things which have been written in the law: and then perhaps you
shall obtain mercy from God. But Christ--if He has indeed been born, and
exists anywhere--is unknown, and does not even know Himself, and has no
power until Elias come to anoint Him, and make Him manifest to all. And
you, having accepted a groundless report, invent a Christ for yourselves,
and for his sake are inconsiderately perishing."
CHAP. IX.--THE CHRISTIANS HAVE NOT BELIEVED GROUNDLESS STORIES.
"I excuse and forgive you, my friend," I said. "For you know not what
you say, but have been persuaded by teachers who do not understand the
Scriptures; and you speak, like a diviner whatever comes into your mind.
But if you are willing to listen to an account of Him, how we have not been
deceived, and shall not cease to confess Him,--although men's reproaches be
heaped upon us, although the most terrible tyrant compel us to deny Him,--I
shall prove to you as you stand here that we have not believed empty
fables, or words without any foundation but words filled with the Spirit of
God, and big with power, and flourishing with grace."
Then again those who were in his company laughed, and shouted in an
unseemly manner. Then I rose up and was about to leave; but he, taking hold
of my garment, said I should not accomplish that(1) until I had performed
what I promised. "Let not, then, your companions be so tumultuous, or
behave so disgracefully," I said. "But if they wish, let them listen in
silence; or, if some better occupation prevent them, let them go away;
while we, having retired to some spot, and resting there, may finish the
discourse." It seemed good to Trypho that we should do so; and accordingly,
having agreed upon it, we retired to the middle space of the Xystus. Two of
his friends, when they had ridiculed and made game of our zeal, went off.
And when we were come to that place, where there are stone seats on both
sides, those with Trypho, having seated themselves on the one side,
conversed with each other, some one of them having thrown in a remark about
the war waged in Judaea.
CHAP. X.--TRYPHO BLAMES THE CHRISTIANS FOR THIS ALONE--THE NON-OBSERVANCE
OF THE LAW.
And when they ceased, I again addressed them thus:--
"Is there any other matter, my friends, in which we are blamed, than
this, that we live not after the law, and are not circumcised in the flesh
as your forefathers were, and do not observe sabbaths as you do? Are our
lives and customs also slandered among you? And I ask this: have you also
believed concerning us, that we eat men; and that after the feast, having
extinguished the lights, we engage in promiscuous concubinage? Or do you
condemn us in this alone, that we adhere to such tenets, and believe in an
opinion, untrue, as you think?"
"This is what we are amazed at," said Trypho, "but those things about
which the multitude speak are not worthy of belief; for they are most
repugnant to human nature. Moreover, I am aware that your precepts in the
so-called Gospel are so wonderful and so great, that I suspect no one can
keep them; for I have carefully read them. But this is what we are most at
a loss about: that you, professing to be pious, and supposing yourselves
better than others, are not in any particular separated from them, and do
not alter your mode of living from the nations, in that you observe no
festivals or sabbaths, and do not have the rite of circumcision; and
further, resting your hopes on a man that was crucified, you yet expect to
obtain some good thing from God, while you do not obey His commandments.
Have you not read, that soul shall be cut off from his people who shall not
have been circumcised on the eighth day? And this has been ordained for
strangers and for slaves equally. But you, despising this covenant rashly,
reject the consequent duties, and attempt to persuade yourselves that you
know God, when, however, you perform none of those things which they do who
fear God. If, therefore, you can defend yourself on these points, and make
it manifest in what way you hope for anything whatsoever, even though you
do not observe the law, this we would very gladly hear from you, and we
shall make other similar investigations."
CHAP. XI.--THE LAW ABROGATED; THE NEW TESTAMENT PROMISED AND GIVEN BY GOD.
"There will be no other God, O Trypho, nor was there from eternity any
other existing" (I thus addressed him), "but He who made and disposed all
this universe. Nor do we think that there is one God for us, another for
you, but that He alone is God who led your fathers out from Egypt with a
strong hand and a high arm. Nor have we trusted in any other (for there is
no other), but in Him in whom you also have trusted, the God of Abraham,
and of Isaac, and of Jacob. But we do not trust through Moses or through
the law; for then we would do the same as yourselves. But now(2)--(for I
have read that there shall be a final law, and a covenant, the chiefest of
all, which it is now incumbent on all men to observe, as many as are
seeking after the inheritance of God. For the law promulgated on Horeb is
now old, and belongs to yourselves alone; but this is for all universally.
Now, law placed against law has abrogated that which is before it, and a
covenant which comes after in like manner has put an end to the previous
one; and an eternal and final law--namely, Christ--has been given to us,
and the covenant is trustworthy, after which there shall be no law, no
commandment, no ordinance. Have you not read this which Isaiah says:
'Hearken unto Me, hearken unto Me, my people; and, ye kings, give ear unto
Me: for a law shall go forth from Me, and My judgment shah be for a light
to the nations. My righteousness approaches swiftly, and My salvation shall
go forth, and nations shall trust in Mine arm?'(1) And by Jeremiah,
concerning this same new covenant, He thus speaks: 'Behold, the days come,
saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant which I made
with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand, to bring them
out of the land of Egypt'(2)). If, therefore, God proclaimed a new covenant
which was to be instituted, and this for a light of the nations, we see and
are persuaded that men approach God, leaving their idols and other
unrighteousness, through the name of Him who was crucified, Jesus Christ,
and abide by their confession even unto death, and maintain piety.
Moreover, by the works and by the attendant miracles, it is possible for
all to understand that He is the new law, and the new covenant, and the
expectation of those who out of every people wait for the good things of
God. For the true spiritual Israel, and descendants of Judah, Jacob, Isaac,
and Abraham (who in uncircumcision was approved of and blessed by God on
account of his faith, and called the father of many nations), are we who
have been led to God through this crucified Christ, as shall be
demonstrated while we proceed.
CHAP. XII.--THE JEWS VIOLATE THE ETERNAL LAW, AND INTERPRET ILL THAT OF
MOSES.
I also adduced another passage in which Isaiah exclaims: "'Hear My
words, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant
with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given Him for a
witness to the people: nations which know not Thee shall call on Thee;
peoples who know not Thee shall escape to Thee, because of thy God, the
Holy One of Israel; for He has glorified Thee.'(3) This same law you have
despised, and His new holy covenant you have slighted; and now you neither
receive it, nor repent of your evil deeds. 'For your ears are closed, your
eyes are blinded, and the heart is hardened,' Jeremiah(4) has cried; yet
not even then do you listen. The Lawgiver is present, yet you do not see
Him; to the poor the Gospel is preached, the blind see, yet you do not
understand. You have now need of a second circumcision, though you glory
greatly in the flesh. The new law requires you to keep perpetual sabbath,
and you, because you are idle for one day, suppose you are pious, not
discerning why this has been commanded you: and if you eat unleavened
bread, you say the will of God has been fulfilled. The Lord our God does
not take pleasure in such observances: if there is any perjured person
or a thief among you, let him cease to be so; if any adulterer, let him
repent; then he has kept the sweet and true sabbaths of God. If any one
has impure hands, let him wash and be pure.
CHAP. XIII.--ISAIAH TEACHES THAT SINS ARE FORGIVEN THROUGH CHRIST'S BLOOD.
"For Isaiah did not send you to a bath, there to wash away murder and
other sins, which not even all the water of the sea were sufficient to
purge; but, as might have been expected, this was that saving bath of the
olden time which followed s those who repented, and who no longer were
purified by the blood of goats and of sheep, or by the ashes of an heifer,
or by the offerings of fine flour, but by faith through the blood of
Christ, and through His death, who died for this very reason, as Isaiah
himself said, when he spake thus: 'The Lord shall make bare His holy arm in
the eyes of all the nations, and all the nations and the ends of the earth
shall see the salvation of God. Depart ye, depart ye, depart ye,(6) go ye
out from thence, and touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her,
be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord, for(7) ye go not with haste.
For the Lord shall go before you; and the Lord, the God of Israel, shall
gather you together. Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; and He shall
be exalted, and be greatly glorified. As many were astonished at Thee, so
Thy form and Thy glory shall be marred more than men. So shall many nations
be astonished at Him, and the kings shall shut their mouths; for that which
had not been told them concerning Him shall they see, and that which they
had not heard shall they consider. Lord, who hath believed our report? and
to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We have announced Him as a child
before Him, as a root in a dry ground. He hath no form or comeliness, and
when we saw Him He had no form or beauty; but His form is dishonoured, and
fails more than the sons of men. He is a man in affliction, and acquainted
with bearing sickness, because His face has been turned away; He was
despised, and we esteemed Him not. He bears our sins, and is distressed for
us; and we esteemed Him to be in toil and in affliction, and in evil
treatment But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him. With His stripes we
are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. Every man has turned to
his own way; and the Lord laid on Him our iniquities, and by reason of His
oppression He opens not His mouth. He was brought as a sheep to the
slaughter; and as a lamb before her shearer is dumb, so He openeth not His
mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away. And who shall
declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth. Because of
the transgressions of my people He came unto death. And I will give the
wicked for His grave, and the rich for His death, because He committed no
iniquity, and deceit was not found in His mouth. And the Lord wills to
purify Him from affliction. If he has been given for sin, your soul shall
see a long-lived seed. And the Lord wills to take His soul away from
trouble, to show Him light, and to form Him in understanding, to justify
the righteous One who serves many well. And He shall bear our sins;
therefore He shall inherit many, and shall divide the spoil of the strong,
because His soul was delivered to death; and He was numbered with the
transgressors, and He bare the sins of many, and was delivered for their
transgression. Sing, O barren, who bearest not; break forth and cry aloud,
thou who dost not travail in pain: for more are the children of the
desolate than the children of the married wife. For the Lord said, Enlarge
the place of thy tent and of thy curtains; fix them, spare not, lengthen
thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; stretch forth to thy right and thy
left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and thou shalt make the
desolate cities to be inherited. Fear not because thou art ashamed, neither
be thou confounded because thou hast been reproached; for thou shalt forget
everlasting shame, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood,
because the Lord has made a name for Himself, and He who has redeemed thee
shall be called through the whole earth the God of Israel. The Lord has
called thee as(1) a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, as(1) a woman
hated from her youth.'(2)
CHAP. XIV.--RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NOT PLACED IN JEWISH RITES, BUT IN THE
CONVERSION OF THE HEART GIVEN IN BAPTISM BY CHRIST.
"By reason, therefore, of this laver of repentance and knowledge of
God, which has been ordained on account of the transgression of God's
people, as Isaiah cries, we have believed, and testify that that very
baptism which he announced is alone able to purify those who have repented;
and this is the water of life. But the cisterns which you have dug for
yourselves are broken and profitless to you. For what is the use of that
baptism which cleanses the flesh and body alone? Baptize the soul from
wrath and from covetousness, from envy, and from hatred; and, lo! the body
is pure. For this is the symbolic significance of unleavened bread, that
you do not commit the old deeds of wicked leaven. But you have understood
all things in a carnal sense, and you suppose it to be piety if you do such
things, while your souls are filled with deceit, and, in short, with every
wickedness. Accordingly, also, after the seven days of eating unleavened
bread, God commanded them to mingle new leaven, that is, the performance of
other works, and not the imitation of the old and evil works. And because
this is what this new Lawgiver demands of you, I shall again refer to the
words which have been quoted by me, and to others also which have been
passed over. They are related by Isaiah to the following effect: 'Hearken
to me, and your soul shall live; and I will make with you an everlasting
covenant, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given Him for a
witness to the people, a leader and commander to the nations. Nations which
know not Thee shall call on Thee; and peoples who know not Thee shall
escape unto Thee, because of Thy God, the Holy One of Israel, for He has
glorified Thee. Seek ye God; and when you find Him, call on Him, so long as
He may be nigh you. Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous
man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will obtain
mercy, because He will abundantly pardon your sins. For my thoughts are not
as your thoughts, neither are my ways as your ways; but as far removed as
the heavens are from the earth, so far is my way removed from your way, and
your thoughts from my thoughts. For as the snow or the rain descends from
heaven, and shall not return till it waters the earth, and makes it bring
forth and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread for food, so shall My
word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return until it
shall have accomplished all that I desired, and I shall make My
commandments prosperous. For ye shall go out with joy, and be taught with
gladness. For the mountains and the hills shall leap while they expect you,
and all the trees of the fields shall applaud with their branches: and
instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress, and instead of the brier
shall come up the myrtle. And the Lord shall be for a name, and for an
everlasting sign, and He shall not fail!'(1) Of these and such like words
written by the prophets, O Trypho," said I, "some have reference to the
first advent of Christ, in which He is preached as inglorious, obscure, and
of mortal appearance: but others had reference to His second advent, when
He shall appear in glory and above the clouds; and your nation shall see
and know Him whom they have pierced, as Hosea, one of the twelve prophets,
and Daniel, foretold.
CHAP. XV.--IN WHAT THE TRUE FASTING CONSISTS.
"Learn, therefore, to keep the true fast of God, as Isaiah says, that
you may please God. Isaiah has cried thus: 'Shout vehemently, and do not
spare: lift up thy voice as with a trumpet, and show My people their
transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins. They seek Me from day to
day, and desire to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and
forsook not the judgment of God. They ask of Me now righteous judgment, and
desire to draw near to God, saying, Wherefore have we fasted, and Thou
seest not? and afflicted our souls, and Thou hast not known? Because in the
days of your fasting you find your own pleasure, and oppress all those who
are subject to you. Behold, ye fast for strifes and debates, and smite the
humble with your fists. Why do ye fast for Me, as to-day, so that your
voice is heard aloud? This is not the fast which I have chosen, the day in
which a man shall afflict his soul. And not even if you bend your neck like
a ring, or clothe yourself in sackcloth and ashes, shall you call this a
fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord. This is not the fast which I have
chosen, saith the Lord; but loose every unrighteous bond, dissolve the
terms of wrongous covenants, let the oppressed go free, and avoid every
iniquitous contract. Deal thy bread to the hungry, and lead the homeless
poor under thy dwelling; if thou seest the naked, clothe him; and do not
hide thyself from thine own flesh. Then shall thy light break forth as the
morning, and thy garments(2) shall rise up quickly: and thy righteousness
shall go before thee, and the glory of God shall envelope thee. Then shalt
thou cry, and the Lord shall hear thee: while thou art speaking, He will
say, Behold, I am here. And if thou take away from thee the yoke, and the
stretching out of the hand, and the word of murmuring; and shalt give
heartily thy bread to the hungry, and shalt satisfy the afflicted soul;
then shall thy light arise in the darkness, and thy darkness shall be as
the noon-day: and thy God shall be with thee continually, and thou shalt be
satisfied according as thy soul desireth, and thy bones shall become fat,
and shall be as a watered garden, and as a fountain of water, or as a land
where water fails not.'(3) 'Circumcise, therefore, the foreskin of your
heart,' as the words of God in all these passages demand."
CHAP. XVI.--CIRCUMCISION GIVEN AS A SIGN, THAT THE JEWS MIGHT BE DRIVEN
AWAY FOR THEIR EVIL DEEDS DONE TO CHRIST AND THE CHRISTIANS.
"And God himself proclaimed by Moses, speaking thus: 'And circumcise
the hardness of your hearts, and no longer stiffen the neck. For the Lord
your God is both Lord of lords, and a great, mighty, and terrible God, who
regardeth not persons, and taketh not rewards.'(4) And in Leviticus:
'Because they have transgressed against Me, and despised Me, and because
they have walked contrary to Me, I also walked contrary to them, and I
shall cut them off in the land of their enemies. Then shall their
uncircumcised heart be turned.'(5) For the circumcision according to the
flesh, which is from Abraham, was given for a sign; that you may be
separated from other nations, and from us; and that you alone may suffer
that which you now justly suffer; and that your land may be desolate, and
your cities burned with fire; and that strangers may eat your fruit in your
presence, and not one of you may go up to Jerusalem.'(6) For you are not
recognised among the rest of men by any other mark than your fleshly
circumcision. For none of you, I suppose, will venture to say that God
neither did nor does foresee the events, which are future, nor fore-
ordained his deserts for each one. Accordingly, these things have happened
to you in fairness and justice, for you have slain the Just One, and His
prophets before Him; and now you reject those who hope in Him, and in Him
who sent Him--God the Almighty and Maker of all things--cursing in your
synagogues those that believe on Christ. For you have not the power to lay
hands upon us, on account of those who now have the mastery. But as often
as you could, you did so. Wherefore God, by Isaiah, calls to you, saying,
'Behold how the righteous man perished, and no one regards it. For the
righteous man is taken away from before iniquity. His grave shall be in
peace, he is taken away from the midst. Draw near hither, ye lawless
children, seed of the adulterers, and children of the whore. Against whom
have you sported yourselves, and against whom have you opened the mouth,
and against whom have you loosened the tongue?'(1)
CHAP. XVII.--THE JEWS SENT PERSONS THROUGH THE WHOLE EARTH TO SPREAD
CALUMNIES ON CHRISTIANS.
"For other nations have not inflicted on us and on Christ this wrong to
such an extent as you have, who in very deed are the authors of the wicked
prejudice against the Just One, and us who hold by Him. For after that you
had crucified Him, the only blameless and righteous Man,-- through whose
swipes those who approach the Father by Him are healed,--when you knew that
He had risen from the dead and ascended to heaven, as the prophets foretold
He would, you not only did not repent of the wickedness which you had
committed, but at that time you selected and sent out from Jerusalem chosen
men through all the land to tell that the godless heresy of the Christians
had sprung up, and to publish those things which all they who knew us not
speak against us. So that you are the cause not only of your own
unrighteousness, but in fact of that of all other men. And Isaiah cries
justly: 'By reason of you, My name is blasphemed among the Gentiles.'(2)
And: 'Woe unto their soul! because they have devised an evil device against
themselves, saying, Let us bind the righteous, for he is distasteful to us.
Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked
evil shall be rendered to him according to the works of his hands.' And
again, in other words:(3) 'Woe unto them that draw their iniquity as with a
long cord, and their transgressions as with the harness of a heifer's yoke:
who say, Let his speed come near; and let the counsel of the Holy One of
Israel come, that we may know it. Woe unto them that call evil good, and
good evil; that put light for darkness, and darkness for light; that put
bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!'(4) Accordingly, you displayed
great zeal in publishing throughout all the land bitter and dark and unjust
things against the only blameless and righteous Light sent by God.
For He appeared distasteful to you when He cried among you, 'It is
written, My house is the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of
thieves!'(5) He overthrew also the tables of the money-changers in the
temple, and exclaimed, 'Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
because ye pay tithe of mint and rue, but do not observe the love of God
and justice. Ye whited sepulchres! appearing beautiful outward, but are
within full of dead men's bones.'(6) And to the Scribes, 'Woe unto you,
Scribes! for ye have the keys, and ye do not enter in yourselves, and them
that are entering in ye hinder; ye blind guides!'
CHAP. XVIII.--CHRISTIANS WOULD OBSERVE THE LAW, IF THEY DID NOT KNOW WHY IT
WAS INSTITUTED.
"For since you have read, O Trypho, as you yourself admitted, the
doctrines taught by our Saviour, I do not think that I have done foolishly
in adding some short utterances of His to the prophetic statements. Wash
therefore, and be now clean, and put away iniquity from your souls, as God
bids you be washed in this layer, and be circumcised with the true
circumcision. For we too would observe the fleshly circumcision, and the
Sabbaths, and in short all the feasts, if we did not know for what reason
they were enjoined you,--namely, on account of your transgressions and the
hardness of your hearts. For if we patiently endure all things contrived
against us by wicked men and demons, so that even amid cruelties
unutterable, death and torments, we pray for mercy to those who inflict
such things upon us, and do not wish to give the least retort to any one,
even as the new Lawgiver commanded us: how is it, Trypho, that we would not
observe those rites which do not harm us,--I speak of fleshly circumcision,
and Sabbaths, and feasts?
CHAP. XIX.--CIRCUMCISION UNKNOWN BEFORE ABRAHAM. THE LAW WAS GIVEN BY MOSES
ON ACCOUNT OF THE HARDNESS OF THEIR HEARTS.
"It is this about which we are at a loss, and with reason, because,
while you endure such things, you do not observe all the other customs
which we are now discussing."
"This circumcision is not, however, necessary for all men, but for you
alone, in order that, as I have already said, you may suffer these things
which you now justly suffer. Nor do we receive that useless baptism of
cisterns, for it has nothing to do with this baptism of life. Wherefore
also God has announced that you have forsaken Him, the living fountain,
and digged for your selves broken cisterns which can hold no water. Even
you, who are the circumcised according to the flesh, have need of our
circumcision; but we, having the latter, do not require the former. For if
it were necessary, as you suppose, God would not have made Adam
uncircumcised would not have had respect to the gifts of Abel when, being
uncircumcised, he offered sacrifice and would not have been pleased with
the uncircumcision of Enoch, who was not found, because God had translated
him. Lot, being uncircumcised, was saved from Sodom, the angels themselves
and the Lord sending him out. Noah was the beginning of our race; yet,
uncircumcised, along with his children he went into the ark. Melchizedek,
the priest of the Most High, was uncircumcised; to whom also Abraham the
first who received circumcision after the flesh, gave tithes, and he
blessed him: after whose order God declared, by the mouth of David, that He
would establish the everlasting priest. Therefore to you alone this
circumcision was necessary, in order that the people may be no people, and
the nation no nation; as also Hosea,(1) one of the twelve prophets,
declares. Moreover, all those righteous men already mentioned, though they
kept no Sabbaths,(2) were pleasing to God; and after them Abraham with all
his descendants until Moses, under whom your nation appeared unrighteous
and ungrateful to God, making a calf in the wilderness: wherefore God,
accommodating Himself to that nation, enjoined them also to offer
sacrifices, as if to His name, in order that you might not serve idols.
Which precept, however, you have not observed; nay, you sacrificed your
children to demons. And you were commanded to keep Sabbaths, that you might
retain the memorial of God. For His word makes this announcement, saying,
'That ye may know that I am God who redeemed you.'(3)
CHAP. XX.--WHY CHOICE OF MEATS WAS PRESCRIBED.
"Moreover, you were commanded to abstain from certain kinds of food, in
order that you might keep God before your eyes while you ate and drank,
seeing that you were prone and very ready to depart from His knowledge, as
Moses also affirms: 'The people ate and drank, and rose up to play.'(4) And
again: 'Jacob ate, and was satisfied, and waxed fat; and he who was beloved
kicked: he waxed fat, he grew thick, he was enlarged, and he forsook God
who had made him.'(5) For it was told you by Moses in the book of Genesis,
that God granted to Noah, being a just man, to eat of every animal, but not
of flesh with the blood, which is dead."(6) And as he was ready to say, "as
the green herbs," I anticipated him: "Why do you not receive this
statement, 'as the green herbs,' in the sense in which it was given by God,
to wit, that just as God has granted the herbs for sustenance to man, even
so has He given the animals for the diet of flesh? But, you say, a
distinction was laid down thereafter to Noah, because we do not eat certain
herbs. As you interpret it, the thing is incredible. And first I shall not
occupy myself with this, though able to say and to hold that every
vegetable is food, and fit to be eaten. But although we discriminate
between green herbs, not eating all, we refrain from eating some, not
because they are common or unclean, but because they are bitter, or deadly,
or thorny. But we lay hands on and take of all herbs which are sweet, very
nourishing and good, whether they are marine or land plants. Thus also God
by the mouth of Moses commanded you to abstain from unclean and improper(7)
and violent animals: when, moreover, though you were eating manna in the
desert, and were seeing all those wondrous acts wrought for you by God, you
made and worshipped the golden calf.(8) Hence he cries continually, and
justly, 'They are foolish children, in whom is no faith.'(9)
CHAP. XXI.--SABBATHS WERE INSTITUTED ON ACCOUNT OF THE PEOPLE'S SINS, AND
NOT FOR A WORK OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
"Moreover, that God enjoined you to keep the Sabbath, and impose on you
other precepts for a sign, as I have already said, on account of your
unrighteousness, and that of your fathers,--as He declares that for the
sake of the nations, lest His name be profaned among them, therefore He
permitted some of you to remain alive,--these words of His can prove to
you: they are narrated by Ezekiel thus: I am the Lord your God; walk in My
statutes, and keep My judgments, and take no part in the customs of Egypt;
and hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that
ye may know that I am the Lord your God. Notwithstanding ye rebelled
against Me, and your children walked not in My statutes, neither kept My
judgments to do them: which if a man do, he shall live in them. But they
polluted My Sabbaths. And I said that I would pour out My fury upon them in
the wilderness, to accomplish My anger upon them; yet I did it not; that My
name might not be altogether profaned in the sight of the heathen. I led
them out before their eyes, and I lifted up Mine hand unto them in the
wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them
through the countries; because they had not executed My judgments, but had
despised My statutes, and polluted My Sabbaths, and their eyes were after
the devices of their fathers. Wherefore I gave them also statutes which
were not good, and judgments whereby they shall not live. And I shall
pollute them in their own gifts, that I may destroy all that openeth the
womb, when I pass through them.'(1)
CHAP. XXII.--SO ALSO WERE SACRIFICES AND OBLATIONS.
"And that you may learn that it was for the sins of your own nation,
and for their idolatries and not because there was any necessity for such
sacrifices, that they were likewise enjoined, listen to the manner in which
He speaks of these by Amos, one of the twelve, saying: 'Woe unto you that
desire the day of the Lord! to what end is this day of the Lord for you? It
is darkness and not light, as when a man flees from the face of a lion, and
a bear meets him; and he goes into his house, and leans his hands against
the wall, and the serpent bites him. Shall not the day of the Lord be
darkness and not light, even very dark, and no brightness in it? I have
hated, I have despised your feast-days, and I will not smell in your solemn
assemblies: wherefore, though ye offer Me your burnt-offerings and
sacrifices, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace-
offerings of your presence. Take thou away from Me the multitude of thy
songs and psalms; I will not hear thine instruments. But let judgment be
rolled down as water, and righteousness as an impassable torrent. Have ye
offered unto Me victims and sacrifices in the wilderness, O house of
Israel? saith the Lord. And have ye taken up the tabernacle of Moloch, and
the star of your god Raphan, the figures which ye made for yourselves? And
I will carry you away beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, whose name is the
Almighty God. Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the
mountain of Samaria: those who are named among the chiefs have plucked away
the first-fruits of the nations: the house of Israel have entered for
themselves. Pass all of you unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye
unto Hamath the great, and go down thence to Gath of the strangers, the
noblest of all these kingdoms, if their boundaries are greater than your
boundaries. Ye who come to the evil day, who are approaching, and who hold
to false Sabbaths; who lie on beds of ivory, and are at ease upon their
couches; who eat the lambs out of the flock, and the sucking calves out of
the midst of the herd; who applaud at the sound of the musical instruments;
they reckon them as stable, and not as fleeting, who drink wine in bowls,
and anoint themselves with the chief ointments, but they are not grieved
for the affliction of Joseph. Wherefore now they shall be captives, among
the first of the nobles who are carried away; and the house of evil-doers
shall be removed, and the neighing of horses shall be taken away from
Ephraim.(2) And again by Jeremiah: 'Collect your flesh, and sacrifices, and
eat: for concerning neither sacrifices nor libations did I command your
fathers in the day in which I took them by the hand to lead them out of
Egypt.(3) And again by David, in the forty-ninth Psalm, He thus said: 'The
God of gods, the Lord hath spoken, and called the earth, from the rising
of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion is the perfection of
His beauty. God, even our God, shall come openly, and shall not keep
silence. Fire shall burn before Him, and it shall be very temptestuous
round about Him. He shall call to the heavens above, and to the earth, that
He may judge His people. Assemble to Him His saints; those that have made a
covenant with Him by sacrifices. And the heavens shall declare His
righteousness, for God is judge. Hear, O My people, and I will speak to
thee; O Israel, and I will testify to thee, I am God, even thy God. I will
not reprove thee for thy sacrifices; thy burnt-offerings are continually
before me. I will take no bullocks out of thy house, nor he-goats out of
thy folds: for all the beasts of the field are Mine, the herds and the oxen
on the mountains. I know all the fowls of the heavens, and the beauty of
the field is Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; for the world
is Mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink
the blood of goats? Offer unto God the sacrifice of praise, and pay thy
vows unto the Most High, and call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will
deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me. But unto the wicked God saith,
What hast thou to do to declare My statutes, and to take My covenant into
thy mouth? But thou hast hated instruction, and cast My words behind thee.
When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst with him; and hast been partaker
with the adulterer. Thy mouth has framed evil, and thy tongue has enfolded
deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest
thine own mother's son. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence;
thou thoughtest that I would be like thyself in wickedness. I will reprove
thee, and set thy sins in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye
that forget God, lest He tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.
The sacrifice of praise shall glorify Me; and there is the way in which I
shall show him My salvation.(1) Accordingly He neither takes sacrifices
from you nor commanded them at first to be offered because they are needful
to Him, but because of your sins. For indeed the temple, which is called
the temple in Jerusalem, He admitted to be His house or court, not as
though He needed it, but in order that you, in this view of it, giving
yourselves to Him, might not worship idols. And that this is so, Isaiah
says: 'What house have ye built Me? saith the Lord. Heaven is My throne,
and earth is My footstool.'(2)
CHAP. XXXIII.--THE OPINION OF THE JEWS REGARDING THE LAW DOES AN INJURY TO
GOD.
"But if we do not admit this, we shall be liable to fall into foolish
opinions, as if it were not the same God who existed in the times of Enoch
and all the rest, who neither were circumcised after the flesh, nor
observed Sabbaths, nor any other rites, seeing that Moses enjoined such
observances; or that God has not wished each race of mankind continually to
perform the same righteous actions: to admit which, seems to be ridiculous
and absurd. Therefore we must confess that He, who is ever the same, has
commanded these and such like institutions on account of sinful men, and we
must declare Him to be benevolent, foreknowing, needing nothing, righteous
and good. But if this be not so, tell me, sir, what you think of those
matters which we are investigating." And when no one responded: "Wherefore,
Trypho, I will proclaim to you, and to those who wish to become proselytes,
the divine message which I heard from that man.(3) Do you see that the
elements are not idle, and keep no Sabbaths? Remain as you were born. For
if there was no need of circumcision before Abraham, or Of the observance
of Sabbaths, of feasts and sacrifices, before Moses; no more need is there
of them now, after that, according to the will of God, Jesus Christ the Son
of God has been born without sin, of a virgin sprung from the stock of
Abraham. For when Abraham himself was in un-circumcision, he was justified
and blessed by reason of the faith which he reposed in God, as the
Scripture tells. Moreover, the Scriptures and the facts themselves compel
us to admit that He received circumcision for a sign, and not for
righteousness. So that it was justly recorded concerning the people, that
the soul which shall not be circumcised on the eighth day shall be cut off
from his family. And, furthermore, the inability of the female sex to
receive fleshly circumcision, proves that this circumcision has been given
for a sign, and not for a work of righteousness. For God has given likewise
to women the ability to observe all things which are righteous and
virtuous; but we see that the bodily form of the male has been made
different from the bodily form of the female; yet we know that neither of
them is righteous or unrighteous merely for this cause, but [is considered
righteous] by reason of piety and righteousness.
CHAP. XXIV.--THE CHRISTIANS' CIRCUMCISION FAR MORE EXCELLENT.
"Now, sirs," I said, "it is possible for us to show how the eighth day
possessed a certain mysterious import, which the seventh day did not
possess, and which was promulgated by God through these rites. But lest I
appear now to diverge to other subjects, understand what I say: the blood
of that circumcision is obsolete, and we trust in the bloOd of salvation;
there is now another covenant, and another law has gone forth from Zion.
Jesus Christ circumcises all who will--as was declared above--with knives
of stone;(4) that they may be a righteous nation, a people keeping faith,
holding to the truth, and maintaining peace. Come then with me, all who
fear God, who wish to see the good of Jerusalem. Come, let us go to the
light of the Lord; for He has liberated His people, the house of Jacob.
Come, all nations; let us gather ourselves together at Jerusalem, no longer
plagued by war for the sins of her people. 'For I was manifest to them that
sought Me not; I was found of them that asked not for Me;'(5) He exclaims
by Isaiah: 'I said, Behold Me, unto nations which were not called by My
name. I have spread out My hands all the day unto a disobedient and
gainsaying people, which walked in a way that was not good, but after their
own sins. It is a people that rovoketh Me to my face.'(5)
CHAP. XXV.--THE JEWS BOAST IN VAIN THAT THEY ARE SONS OF ABRAHAM.
"Those who justify themselves, and say they are sons of Abraham, shall
be desirous even in a small degree to receive the inheritance along with
you;(6) as the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of Isaiah, cries, speaking thus
while he personates them: 'Return from heaven, and behold from the
habitation of Thy holiness and glory. Where is Thy zeal and strength? Where
is the multitude of Thy mercy? for Thou hast sustained us, O Lord. For Thou
art our Father, because Abraham is ignorant of us, and Israel has not
recognised us. But Thou, O Lord, our Father, deliver us: from the beginning
Thy name is upon us. O Lord, why hast Thou made us to err from Thy way? and
hardened our hearts, so that we do not fear Thee? Return for Thy servants'
sake, the tribes of Thine inheritance, that we may inherit for a little Thy
holy mountain. We were as from the beginning, when Thou didst not bear rule
over us, and when Thy name was not called upon us. If Thou wilt open the
heavens, trembling shall seize the mountains before Thee: and they shall be
melted, as wax melts before the fire; and fire shah consume the
adversaries, and Thy name shall be manifest among the adversaries; the
nations shall be put into disorder before Thy face. When Thou shall do
glorious things, trembling shall seize the mountains before Thee. From the
beginning we have not heard, nor have our eyes seen a God besides Thee: and
Thy works,(1) the mercy which Thou shall show to those who repent. He shall
meet those who do righteousness, and they shall remember Thy ways. Behold,
Thou art wroth, and we were sinning. Therefore we have erred and become all
unclean, and all our righteousness is as the rags of a woman set apart: and
we have faded away like leaves by reason of our iniquities; thus the wind
will take us away. And there is none that calleth upon Thy name, or
remembers to take hold of Thee; for Thou hast turned away Thy face from us,
and hast given us up on account of our sins. And now return, O Lord, for we
are all Thy people. The city of Thy holiness has become desolate. Zion has
become as a wilderness, Jerusalem a curse; the house, our holiness, and the
glory which our fathers blessed, has been burned with fire; and all the
glorious nations(2) have fallen along with it. And in addition to these
[misfortunes], O Lord, Thou hast refrained Thyself, and art silent, and
hast humbled us very much.'"(3)
And Trypho remarked, "What is this you say? that none of us shall
inherit anything on the holy mountain of God?"
CHAP. XXVI.--NO SALVATION TO THE JEWS EXCEPT THROUGH CHRIST.
And I replied, "I do not say so; but those who have persecuted and do
persecute Christ, if they do not repent, shall not inherit anything on the
holy mountain. But the Gentiles, who have believed on Him, and have
repented of the sins which they have committed, they shall receive the
inheritance along with the patriarchs and the prophets, and the just men
who are descended from Jacob, even although they neither keep the Sabbath,
nor are circumcised, nor observe the feasts. Assuredly they shall receive
the holy inheritance of God. For God speaks by Isaiah thus: 'I, the Lord
God, have called Thee in righteousness, and will hold Thine hand, and will
strengthen Thee; and I have given Thee for a covenant of the people, for a
light of the Gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out them
that are bound from the chains, and those who sit in darkness from the
prison-house.'(4) And again: 'Lift up a standard s for the people; for, lo,
the Lord has made it heard unto the end of the earth. Say ye to the
daughters of Zion, Behold, thy Saviour has come; having His reward, and His
work before His face: and He shall call it a holy nation, redeemed by the
Lord. And thou shalt be called a city sought out, and not forsaken. Who is
this that cometh from Edom? in red garments from Bosor? This that is
beautiful in apparel, going up with great strength? I speak righteousness,
and the judgment of salvation. Why are Thy garments red, and Thine apparel
as from the trodden wine-press? Thou art full of the trodden grape. I have
trodden the wine-press all alone, and of the people there is no man with
Me; and I have trampled them in fury, and crushed them to the ground, and
spilled their blood on the earth. For the day of retribution has come upon
them, and the year of redemption is present. And I looked, and there was
none to help; and I considered, and none assisted: and My arm delivered;
and My fury came on them, and I trampled them in My fury, and spilled their
blood on the earth.'"(6)
CHAP. XXVII.--WHY GOD TAUGHT THE SAME THINGS BY THE PROPHETS AS BY MOSES.
And Trypho said, "Why do you select and quote whatever you wish from
the prophetic writings, but do not refer to those which expressly command
the Sabbath to be observed? For Isaiah thus speaks: 'If thou shalt turn
away thy foot from the Sabbaths, so as not to do thy pleasure on the holy
day, and shalt call the Sabbaths the holy delights of thy God; if thou
shalt not lift thy foot to work, and shalt not speak a word from thine own
mouth; then thou shalt trust in the Lord, and He shall cause thee to go up
to the good things of the land; and He shall feed thee with the inheritance
of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.'"(7)
And I replied, "I have passed them by, my friends, not because such
prophecies were contrary to me, but because you have understood, and do
understand, that although God commands you by all the prophets to do the
same things which He also commanded by Moses, it was on account of the
hardness of your hearts, and your ingratitude towards Him, that He
continually proclaims them, in order that, even in this way, if you
repented, you might please Him, and neither sacrifice your children to
demons, nor be partakers with thieves, nor lovers of gifts, nor hunters
after revenge, nor fail in doing judgment for orphans, nor be inattentive
to the justice due to the widow nor have your hands full of blood. 'For the
daughters of Zion have walked with a high neck, both sporting by winking
with their eyes, and sweeping along their dresses.(1) For they are all gone
aside,' He exclaims, 'they are all become useless. There is none that
understands, there is not so much as one. With their tongues they have
practised deceit, their throat is an open sepulchre, the poison of asps is
under their lips, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the way of
peace they have not known.'(2) So that, as in the beginning, these things
were enjoined you because of your wickedness, in like manner because of
your stedfastness in it, or rather your increased proneness to it, by means
of the same precepts He calls you to a remembrance or knowledge of it. But
you are a people hard-hearted and without understanding, both blind and
lame, children in whom is no faith, as He Himself says, honouring Him only
with your lips, far from Him in your hearts, teaching doctrines that are
your own and not His. For, tell me, did God wish the priests to sin when
they offer the sacrifices on the Sabbaths? or those to sin, who are
circumcised and do circumcise on the Sabbaths; since He commands that on
the eighth day--even though it happen to be a Sabbath--those who are born
shall be always circumcised? or could not the infants be operated upon one
day previous or one day subsequent to the Sabbath, if He knew that it is a
sinful act upon the Sabbaths? Or why did He not teach those--who are called
righteous and pleasing to Him, who lived before Moses and Abraham, who were
not circumcised in their foreskin, and observed no Sabbaths--to keep these
institutions?"
CHAP. XXVIII.--TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS IS OBTAINED BY CHRIST.
And Trypho replied, "We heard you adducing this consideration a little
ago, and we have given it attention: for, to tell the truth, it is worthy
of attention; and that answer which pleases most--namely, that so it seemed
good to Him--does not satisfy me. For this is ever the shift to which those
have recourse who are unable to answer the question."
Then I said, "Since I bring from the Scriptures and the facts
themselves both the proofs and the inculcation of them, do not delay or
hesitate to put faith in me, although I am an uncircumcised man; so short a
time is left you in which to become proselytes. If Christ's coming shall
have anticipated you, in vain you will repent, in vain you will weep; for
He will not hear yon. 'Break up your fallow ground,' Jeremiah has cried to
the people, 'and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
and circumcise the foreskin of your heart.'(3) Do not sow, therefore, among
thorns, and in untilled ground, whence you can have no fruit. Know Christ;
and behold the fallow ground, good, good and fat, is in your hearts. 'For,
behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will visit all them that are
circumcised in their foreskins; Egypt, and Judah,(4) and Edom, and the sons
of Moab. For all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel
are uncircumcised in their hearts.'(5) Do you see how that God does not
mean this circumcision which is given for a sign? For it is of no use to
the Egyptians, or the sons of Moab, or the sons of Edom. But though a man
be a Scythian or a Persian, if he has the knowledge of God and of His
Christ, and keeps the everlasting righteous decrees, he is circumcised with
the good and useful circumcision, and is a friend of God, and God rejoices
in his gifts and offerings. But I will lay before you, my friends, the very
words of God, when He said to the people by Malachi, one of the twelve
prophets, 'I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord; and I shall not
accept your sacrifices at your hands: for from the rising of the sun unto
its setting My name shall be glorified among the Gentiles; and in every
place a sacrifice is offered unto My name, even a pure sacrifice: for My
name is honoured among the Gentiles, saith the Lord; but ye profane it.'(6)
And by David He said, 'A people whom I have not known, served Me; at the
hearing of the ear they obeyed Me.'(7)
CHAP. XXIX.--CHRIST IS USELESS TO THOSE WHO OBSERVE THE LAW.
"Let us glorify God, all nations gathered together; for He has also
visited us. Let us glorify Him by the King of glory, by the Lord of hosts.
For He has been gracious towards the Gentiles also; and our sacrifices He
esteems more grateful than yours. What need, then, have I of circumcision,
who have been witnessed to by God? What need have I of that other baptism,
who have been baptized with the Holy Ghost? I think that while I mention
this, I would persuade even those who are possessed of scanty intelligence.
For these words have neither been prepared by me, nor embellished by the
art of man; but David sung them, Isaiah preached them, Zechariah proclaimed
them, and Moses wrote them. Are you acquainted with them, Trypho? They are
contained in your Scriptures, or rather not yours, but ours.(1) For we
believe them; but you, though you read them, do not catch the spirit that
is in them. Be not offended at, or reproach us with, the bodily
uncircumcision with which God has created us; and think it not strange that
we drink hot water on the Sabbaths, since God directs the government of the
universe on this day equally as on all others; and the priests, as on other
days, so on this, are ordered to offer sacrifices; and there are so many
righteous men who have performed none of these legal ceremonies, and yet
are witnessed to by God Himself.
CHAP. XXX.--CHRISTIANS POSSESS THE TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS.
"But impute it to your own wickedness, that God even can be accused by
those who have no understanding, of not having always instructed all in the
same righteous statutes. For such institutions seemed to be unreasonable
and unworthy of God to many men, who had not received grace to know that
your nation were called to conversion and repentance of spirit,(2) while
they were in a sinful condition and labouring under spiritual disease; and
that the prophecy which was announced subsequent to the death of Moses is
everlasting. And this is mentioned in the Psalm, my friends.(3) And that
we, who have been made wise by them, confess that the statutes of the Lord
are sweeter than honey and the honey-comb, is manifest from the fact that,
though threatened with death, we do not deny His name. Moreover, it is also
manifest to all, that we who believe in Him pray to be kept by Him from
strange, i.e., from wicked and deceitful, spirits; as the word of prophecy,
personating one of those who believe in Him, figuratively declares. For we
do continually beseech God by Jesus Christ to preserve us from the demons
which are hostile to the worship of God, and whom we of old time served, in
order that, after our conversion by Him to God, we may be blameless. For we
call Him Helper and Redeemer, the power of whose name even the demons do
fear; and at this day, when they are exorcised in the name of Jesus Christ,
crucified under Pontius Pilate, governor of Judaea, they are overcome. And
thus it is manifest to all, that His Father has given Him so great power,
by virtue of which demons are subdued to His name, and to the dispensation
of His suffering.
CHAP. XXXI.--IF CHRIST'S POWER BE NOW SO GREAT, HOW MUCH GREATER AT THE
SECOND ADVENT!
"But if so great a power is shown to have followed and to be still
following the dispensation of His suffering, how great shall that be which
shall follow His glorious advent! For He shall come on the clouds as the
Son of man, so Daniel foretold, and His angels shall come with Him. These
are the words: 'I beheld till the thrones were set; and the Ancient of days
did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the
pure wool. His throne was like a fiery flame, His wheels as burning fire. A
fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. Thousand thousands
ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The books were opened, and the judgment was set. I beheld then the voice of
the great words which the horn speaks: and the beast was beat down, and his
body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. And the rest of the beasts
were taken away from their dominion, and a period of life was given to the
beasts until a season and time. I saw in the vision of the night, and,
behold, one like the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven; and He
came to the Ancient of days, and stood before Him. And they who stood by
brought Him near; and there were given Him power and kingly honour, and all
nations of the earth by their families, and all glory, serve Him. And His
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not be taken away; and His
kingdom shall not be destroyed. And my spirit was chilled within my frame,
and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that
stood by, and inquired the precise meaning of all these things. In answer
he speaks to me, and showed me the judgment of the matters: These great
beasts are four kingdoms, which shall perish from the earth, and shall not
receive dominion for ever, even for ever and ever. Then I wished to know
exactly about the fourth beast, which destroyed all [the others] and was
very terrible, its teeth of iron, and its nails of brass; which devoured,
made waste, and stamped the residue with its feet: also about the ten horns
upon its head, and of the one which came up, by means of which three of the
former fell. And that horn had eyes, and a mouth speaking great things; and
its countenance excelled the rest. And I beheld that horn waging war
against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of days
came; and He gave judgment for the saints of the Most High. And the time
came, and the saints of the Most High possessed the kingdom. And it was
told me concerning the fourth beast: There shall be a fourth kingdom upon
earth, which shall prevail over all these kingdoms, and shall devour the
whole earth, and shall destroy and make it thoroughly waste. And the ten
horns are ten kings that shall arise; and one shall arise after them;(1)
and he shall surpass the first in evil deeds, and he shall subdue three
kings, and he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall overthrow
the rest of the saints of the Most High, and shall expect to change the
seasons and the times. And it shall be delivered into his hands for a time,
and times, and half a time. And the judgment sat, and they shall take away
his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom,
and the power, and the great places of the kingdoms under the heavens, were
given to the holy people of the Most High, to reign in an everlasting
kingdom: and all powers shall be subject to Him, and shall obey Him.
Hitherto is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was possessed with a very
great astonishment, and my speech was changed in me; yet I kept the matter
in my heart.'"(2)
CHAP. XXXII.--TRYPHO OBJECTING THAT CHRIST IS DESCRIBED AS GLORIOUS BY
DANIEL, JUSTIN DISTINGUISHES TWO ADVENTS.
And when I had ceased, Trypho said, "These and such like Scriptures,
sir, compel us to wait for Him who, as Son of man, receives from the
Ancient of days the everlasting kingdom. But this so-called Christ of yours
was dishonourable and inglorious, so much so that the last curse contained
in the law of God fell on him, for he was crucified."
Then I replied to him, "If, sirs, it were not said by the Scriptures
which I have already quoted, that His form was inglorious, and His
generation not declared, and that for His death the rich would suffer
death, and with His stripes we should be healed, and that He would be led
away like a sheep; and if I had not explained that there would be two
advents of His,--one in which He was pierced by you; a second, when you
shall know Him whom you have pierced, and your tribes shall mourn, each
tribe by itself, the women apart, and the men apart, --then I must have
been speaking dubious and obscure things. But now, by means of the contents
of those Scriptures esteemed holy and prophetic amongst you, I attempt to
prove all [that I have adduced], in the hope that some one of you may be
found to be of that remnant which has been left by the grace of the Lord of
Sabaoth for the eternal salvation. In order, therefore, that the matter
inquired into may be plainer to you, I will mention to you other words also
spoken by the blessed David, from which you will perceive that the Lord is
called the Christ by the Holy Spirit of prophecy; and that the Lord, the
Father of all, has brought Him again from the earth, setting Him at His own
right hand, until He makes His enemies His footstool; which indeed happens
from the time that our Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, after He rose
again from the dead, the times now running on to their consummation; and he
whom Daniel foretells would have dominion for a time, and times, and an
half, is even already at the door, about to speak blasphemous and daring
things against the Most High. But you, being ignorant of how long he will
have dominion, hold another opinion. For you interpret the 'time' as being
a hundred years. But if this is so, the man of sin must, at the shortest,
reign three hundred and fifty years, in order that we may compute that
which is said by the holy Daniel--'and times'--to be two times only. All
this I have said to you in digression, in order that you at length may be
persuaded of what has been declared against you by God, that you are
foolish sons; and of this, 'Therefore, behold, I will proceed to take away
this people, and shall take them away; and I will strip the wise of their
wisdom, and will hide the understanding of their prudent men;'(3) and may
cease to deceive yourselves and those who hear you, and may learn of us,
who have been taught wisdom by the grace of Christ. The words, then, which
were spoken by David, are these:(4) 'The Lord said unto My Lord, Sit Thou
at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. The Lord shall
send the rod of Thy strength out of Sion: rule Thou also in the midst of
Thine enemies. With Thee shall be, in the day, the chief of Thy power, in
the beauties of Thy saints. From the womb, before the morning star, have I
begotten Thee. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent: Thou art a priest
for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord is at Thy right hand: He
has crushed kings in the day of His wrath: He shall judge among the
heathen, He shall fill [with] the dead bodies.(5) He shall drink of the
brook in the way; therefore shall He lift up the head.'
CHAP. XXXIII.--PS, CX. IS NOT SPOKEN OF HEZEKIAH. HE PROVES THAT CHRIST WAS
FIRST HUMBLE, THEN SHALL BE GLORIOUS.
"And," I continued, "I am not ignorant that you venture to expound this
psalm as if it referred to king Hezekiah; but that you arc mistaken, I
shall prove to you from these very words forthwith. 'The Lord hath sworn,
and will not repent,' it is said; and, 'Thou art a priest for ever, after
the order of Melchizedek,' with what follows and precedes. Not even you
will venture to object that Hezekiah was either a priest, or is the
everlasting priest of God; but that this is spoken of our Jesus, these
expressions show. But your ears are shut up, and your hearts are made
dull.(1) For by this statement, 'The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent:
Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek,' with an oath
God has shown Him (on account of your unbelief) to be the High Priest after
the order of Melchizedek; i.e., as Melchizedek was described by Moses as
the priest of the Most High, and he was a priest of those who were in
uncircumcision, and blessed the circumcised Abraham who brought him tithes,
so God has shown that His everlasting Priest, called also by the Hold
Spirit Lord, would be Priest of those in uncircumcision. Those too in
circumcision who approach Him, that is, believing Him and seeking blessings
from Him, He will both receive and bless. And that He shall be first humble
as a man, and then exalted, these words at the end of the Psalm show: 'He
shall drink of the brook in the way,' and then, 'Therefore shall He lift up
the head.'
CHAP. XXXIV.--NOR DOES PS. LXXII. APPLY TO SOLOMON, WHOSE FAULTS CHRISTIANS
SHUDDER AT.
"Further, to persuade you that you have not understood anything of the
Scriptures, I will remind you of another psalm, dictated to David by the
Holy Spirit, which you say refers to Solomon, who was also your king. But
it refers also to our Christ. But you deceive yourselves by the ambiguous
forms of speech. For where it is said, 'The law of the Lord is perfect,'
you do not understand it of the law which was to be after Moses, but of the
law which was given by Moses, although God declared that He would establish
a new law and a new covenant. And where it has been said, 'O God, give Thy
judgment to the king,' since Solomon was king, you say that the Psalm
refers to him, although the words of the Psalm expressly proclaim that
reference is made to the everlasting King, i.e., to Christ. For Christ is
King, and Priest, and God, and Lord, and angel, and man, and captain, and
stone, and a Son born, and first made subject to suffering, then returning
to heaven, and again coming with glory, and He is preached as having the
everlasting kingdom: so I prove from all the Scriptures. But that you may
perceive what I have said, I quote the words of the Psalm; they are these:
'O God, give Thy judgment to the king, and Thy righteousness unto the
king's son, to judge Thy people with righteousness, and Thy poor with
judgment. The mountains shall take up peace to the people, and the little
hills righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, and shah save
the children of the needy, and shall abase the slanderer. He shall co-
endure with the sun, and before the moon unto all generations. He shall
come down like rain upon the fleece, as drops falling on the earth. In His
days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace until the moon be
taken away. And He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the rivers
unto the ends of the earth. Ethiopians shall fall down before Him, and His
enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and the isles shall
offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Seba shall offer gifts; and all the
kings of the earth shall worship Him, and all the nations shall serve Him:
for He has delivered the poor from the man of power, and the needy that
hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls
of the needy: He shall redeem their souls from usury and injustice, and His
name shall be honourable before them. And He shall live, and to Him shall
be given of the gold of Arabia, and they shall pray continually for Him:
they shall bless Him all the day. And there shall be a foundation on the
earth, it shall be exalted on the tops of the mountains: His fruit shall be
on Lebanon, and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
His name shah be blessed for ever. His name shall endure before the sun;
and all tribes of the earth shall be blessed in Him, all nations shall call
Him blessed. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who only doeth
wondrous things; and blessed be His glorious name for ever, and for ever
and ever; and the whole earth shall be filled with His glory. Amen,
amen.'(2) And at the close of this Psalm which I have quoted, it is
written, 'The hymns of David the son of Jesse are ended.'(3) Moreover, that
Solomon was a renowned and great king, by whom the temple called that at
Jerusalem was built, I know; but that none of those things mentioned in the
Psalm happened to him, is evident. For neither did all kings worship him;
nor did he reign to the ends of the earth; nor did his enemies, failing
before him, lick the dust. Nay, also, I venture to repeat what is written
in the book of Kings as committed by him, how through a woman's influence
he worshipped the idols of Sidon, which those of the Gentiles who know God,
the Maker of all things through Jesus the crucified, do not venture to do,
but abide every torture and vengeance even to the extremity of death,
rather than worship idols, or eat meat offered to idols."
CHAP. XXXV.--HERETICS CONFIRM THE CATHOLICS IN THE FAITH.
And Trypho said, "I believe, however, that many of those who say that
they confess Jesus, and are called Christians, eat meats offered to idols,
and declare that they are by no means injured in consequence." And I
replied, "The fact that there are such men confessing themselves to be
Christians, and admitting the crucified Jesus to be both Lord and Christ,
yet not teaching His doctrines, but those of the spirits of error, causes
us who are disciples of the true and pure doctrine of Jesus Christ, to be
more faithful and stedfast in the hope announced by Him. For what things He
predicted would take place in His name, these we do see being actually
accomplished in our sight. For he said, 'Many shall come in My name,
clothed outwardly in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves."(1) And, 'There shall be schisms and heresies.'(2) And, 'Beware of
false prophets, who shall come to you clothed outwardly in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.'(1) And, 'Many false
Christs and false apostles shall arise, and shall deceive many of the
faithful.'(3) There are, therefore, and there were many, my friends, who,
coming forward in the name of Jesus, taught both to speak and act impious
and blasphemous things; and these are called by us after the name of the
men from whom each doctrine and opinion had its origin. (For some in one
way, others in another, teach to blaspheme the Maker of all things, and
Christ, who was foretold by Him as coming, and the God of Abraham, and of
Isaac, and of Jacob, with whom we have nothing in common, since we know
them to be atheists, impious, unrighteous, and sinful, and confessors of
Jesus in name only, instead of worshippers of Him. Yet they style
themselves Christians, just as certain among the Gentiles inscribe the name
of God upon the works of their own hands, and partake in nefarious and
impious rites.) Some are called Marcians, and some Valentinians, and some
Basilidians, and some Saturnilians, and others by other names; each called
after the originator of the individual opinion, just as each one of those
who consider themselves philosophers, as I said before, thinks he must bear
the name of the philosophy which he follows, from the name of the father of
the particular doctrine. So that, in consequence of these events, we know
that Jesus foreknew what would happen after Him, as well as in consequence
of many other events which He foretold would befall those who believed on
and confessed Him, the Christ. For all that we suffer, even when killed by
friends, He foretold would take place; so that it is manifest no word or
act of His can be found fault with. Wherefore we pray for you and for all
other men who hate us; in order that you, having repented along with us,
may not blaspheme Him who, by His works, by the mighty deeds even now
wrought through His name, by the words He taught, by the prophecies
announced concerning Him, is the blameless, and in all things
irreproachable, Christ Jesus; but, believing on Him, may be saved in His
second glorious advent, and may not be condemned to fire by Him."
CHAP. XXXVI.--HE PROVES THAT CHRIST IS CALLED LORD OF HOSTS.
Then he replied, "Let these things be so as you say--namely, that it
was foretold Christ would suffer, and be called a stone; and after His
first appearance, in which it had been announced He would suffer, would
come in glory, and be Judge finally of all, and eternal King and Priest.
Now show if this man be He of whom these prophecies were made."
And I said, "As you wish, Trypho, I shall come to these proofs which
you seek in the fitting place; but now you will permit me first to recount
the prophecies, which I wish to do in order to prove that Christ is called
both God and Lord of hosts, and Jacob, in parable by the Holy Spirit; and
your interpreters, as God says, are foolish, since they say that reference
is made to Solomon and not to Christ, when he bore the ark of testimony
into the temple which he built. The Psalm of David is this: 'The earth is
the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and all that dwell therein.
He hath rounded it upon the seas, and prepared it upon the floods. Who
shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy
place? He that is clean of hands and pure of heart: who has not received
his soul in vain, and has not sworn guilefully to his neighbour: he shall
receive blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Saviour. This is the
generation of them that seek the Lord, that seek the face of the God of
Jacob.(4) Lift up your gates, ye rulers; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting
doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The
Lord strong and mighty in battle. Lift up your gates, ye rulers; and be ye
lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is
this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.'(1)
Accordingly, it is shown that Solomon is not the Lord of hosts; but when
our Christ rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, the rulers in heaven,
under appointment of God, are commanded to open the gates of heaven, that
He who is King of glory may enter in, and having ascended, may sit on the
right hand of the Father until He make the enemies His footstool, as has
been made manifest by another Psalm. For when the rulers of heaven saw Him
of uncomely and dishonoured appearance, and inglorious, not recognising
Him, they inquired, 'Who is this King of glory?' And the Holy Spirit,
either from the person of His Father, or from His own person, answers them,
'The Lord of hosts, He is this King of glory.' For every one will confess
that not one of those who presided over the gates of the temple at
Jerusalem would venture to say concerning Solomon, though he was so
glorious a king, or concerning the ark of testimony, 'Who is this King of
glory?'
CHAP. XXXVII.--THE SAME IS PROVED FROM OTHER PSALMS.
"Moreover, in the diapsalm of the forty-sixth Psalm, reference is thus
made to Christ: 'God went up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a
trumpet. Sing ye to our God, sing ye: sing to our King, sing ye; for God is
King of all the earth: sing with understanding. God has ruled over the
nations. God sits upon His holy throne. The rulers of the nations were
assembled along with the God of Abraham, for the strong ones of God are
greatly exalted on the earth.'(2) And in the ninety-eighth Psalm, the Holy
Spirit reproaches you, and predicts Him whom you do not wish to be king to
be King and Lord, both of Samuel, and of Aaron, and of Moses, and, in
short, of all the others. And the words of the Psalm are these: 'The Lord
has reigned, let the nations be angry: [it is] He who sits upon the
cherubim, let the earth be shaken. The Lord is great in Zion, and He is
high above all the nations. Let them confess Thy great name, for it is
fearful and holy, and the honour of the King loves judgment. Thou hast
prepared equity; judgment and righteousness hast Thou performed in Jacob.
Exalt the Lord our God, and worship the footstool of His feet; for He is
holy. Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among those who call
upon His name. They called (says the Scripture) on the Lord, and He heard
them. In the pillar of the cloud He spake to them; for(3) they kept His
testimonies, and the commandment which he gave them. O Lord our God, Thou
heardest them: O God, Thou wert propitious to them, and [yet] taking
vengeance on all their inventions. Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at
His holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.'"(4)
CHAP. XXXVIII.--IT IS AN ANNOYANCE TO THE JEW THAT CHRIST IS SAID TO BE
ADORED. JUSTIN CONFIRMS IT, HOWEVER, FROM PS. XLV.
And Trypho said, "Sir, it were good for us if we obeyed our teachers,
who laid down a law that we should have no intercourse with any of you, and
that we should not have even any communication with you on these questions.
For you utter many blasphemies, in that you seek to persuade us that this
crucified man was with Moses and Aaron, and spoke to them in the pillar of
the cloud; then that he became man, was crucified, and ascended up to
heaven, and comes again to earth, and ought to be worshipped."
Then I answered, "I know that, as the word of God says, this great
wisdom of God, the Maker of all things, and the Almighty, is hid from you.
Wherefore, in sympathy with you, I am striving to the utmost that you may
understand these matters which to you are paradoxical; but if not, that I
myself may be innocent in the day of judgment. For you shall hear other
words which appear still more paradoxical; but be not confounded, nay,
rather remain still more zealous hearers and investigators, despising the
tradition of your teachers, since they are convicted by the Holy Spirit of
inability to perceive the truths taught by God, and of preferring to teach
their own doctrines. Accordingly, in the forty-fourth [forty-fifth] Psalm,
these words are in like manner referred to Christ: 'My heart has brought
forth a good matter;(5) I tell my works to the King. My tongue is the pen
of a ready writer. Fairer in beauty than the sons of men: grace is poured
forth into Thy lips: therefore bath God blessed Thee for ever. Gird Thy
sword upon Thy thigh, O mighty One. Press on in Thy fairness and in Thy
beauty, and prosper and reign, because of truth, and of meekness, and of
righteousness: and Thy right hand shall instruct Thee marvellously. Thine
arrows are sharpened, O mighty One; the people shall fall under Thee; in
the heart of the enemies of the King [the arrows are fixed]. Thy throne, O
God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of equity is the sceptre of Thy
kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hast hated iniquity; therefore
thy God(1) hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.
[He hath anointed Thee] with myrrh,(2) and oil, and cassia, from Thy
garments; from the ivory palaces, whereby they made Thee glad. Kings'
daughters are in Thy honour. The queen stood at Thy right hand, clad in
garments(3) embroidered with gold. Hearken, O daughter, and behold, and
incline thine ear, and forget thy people and the house of thy father: and
the King shall desire thy beauty; because He is thy Lord, they shall
worship Him also. And the daughter of Tyre [shall be there] with gifts. The
rich of the people shall entreat Thy face. All the glory of the King's
daughter [is] within, clad in embroidered garments of needlework. The
virgins that follow her shall be brought to the King; her neighbours shall
be brought unto Thee: they shall be brought with joy and gladness: they
shall be led into the King's shrine. Instead of thy fathers, thy sons have
been born: Thou shalt appoint them rulers over all the earth. I shall
remember Thy name in every generation: therefore the people shall confess
Thee for ever, and for ever and ever.'
CHAP. XXXIX.--THE JEWS HATE THE CHRISTIANS WHO BELIEVE THIS. HOW GREAT THE
DISTINCTION IS BETWEEN BOTH!
"Now it is not surprising," I continued, "that you hate us who hold
these opinions, and convict you of a continual hardness of heart.(4) For
indeed Elijah, conversing with God concerning you, speaks thus: 'Lord, they
have slain Thy prophets, and digged down Thine altars: and I am left alone,
and they seek my life.' And He answers him: 'I have still seven thousand
men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.'(5) Therefore, just as God did not
inflict His anger on account of those seven thousand men, even so He has
now neither yet inflicted judgment, nor does inflict it, knowing that daily
some [of you] are becoming disciples in the name of Christ, and quitting
the path of error; who are also receiving gifts, each as he is worthy,
illumined through the name of this Christ. For one receives the spirit of
understanding, another of counsel, another of strength, another of healing,
another of foreknowledge, another of teaching, and another of the fear of
God."
To this Trypho said to me, "I wish you knew that you are beside
yourself, talking these sentiments."
And I said to him, "Listen, O friend,(6) for I am not mad or beside
myself; but it was prophesied that, after the ascent of Christ to heaven,
He would deliver(7) us from error and give us gifts. The words are these:
'He ascended up on high; He led captivity captive; He gave gifts to
men.'(8) Accordingly, we who have received gifts from Christ, who has
ascended up on high, prove from the words of prophecy that you, 'the wise
in yourselves, and the men of understanding in your own eyes,'(9) are
foolish, and honour God and His Christ by lip only. But we, who are
instructed in the whole truth,(10) honour Them both in acts, and in
knowledge, and in heart, even unto death. But you hesitate to confess that
He is Christ, as the Scriptures and the events witnessed and done in His
name prove, perhaps for this reason, lest you be persecuted by the rulers,
who, under the influence of the wicked and deceitful spirit, the serpent,
will not cease putting to death and persecuting those who confess the name
of Christ until He come again, and destroy them all, and render to each his
deserts."
And Trypho replied, "Now, then, render us the proof that this man who
you say was crucified and ascended into heaven is the Christ of God. For
you have sufficiently proved by means of the Scriptures previously quoted
by you, that it is declared in the Scriptures that Christ must suffer, and
come again with glory, and receive the eternal kingdom over all the
nations, every kingdom being made subject to Him: now show us that this man
is He."
And I replied, "It has been already proved, sirs, to those who have
ears, even from the facts which have been conceded by you; but that you may
not think me at a loss, and unable to give proof of what you ask, as I
promised, I shall do so at a fitting place. At present, I resume the
consideration of the subject which I was discussing.
CHAP. XL.--HE RETURNS TO THE MOSAIC LAWS, AND PROVES THAT THEY WERE FIGURES
OF THE THINGS WHICH PERTAIN TO CHRIST.
"The mystery, then, of the lamb which God enjoined to be sacrificed as
the passover, was a type of Christ; with whose blood, in proportion to
their faith in Him, they anoint their houses, i.e., themselves, who believe
on Him. For that the creation which God created--to wit, Adam--was a house
for the spirit which proceeded from God, you all can understand. And that
this injunction was temporary, I prove thus. God does not permit the lamb
of the passover to be sacrificed in any other place than where His name was
named; knowing that the days will come, after the suffering of Christ, when
even the place in Jerusalem shall be given over to your enemies, and all
the offerings, in short, shall cease; and that lamb which was commanded to
be wholly roasted was a symbol of the suffering of the cross which Christ
would undergo. For the lamb,(1) which is roasted, is roasted and dressed up
in the form of the cross. For one spit is transfixed right through from the
lower parts up to the head, and one across the back, to which are attached
the legs of the lamb. And the two goats which were ordered to be offered
during the fast, of which one was sent away as the scape [goat], and the
other sacrificed, were similarly declarative of the two appearances of
Christ: the first, in which the elders of your people, and the priests,
having laid hands on Him and put Him to death, sent Him away as the scope
[goat]; and His second appearance, because in the same place in Jerusalem
you shall recognise Him whom you have dishonoured, and who was an offering
for all sinners willing to repent, and keeping the fast which Isaiah speaks
of, loosening the terms(2) of the violent contracts, and keeping the other
precepts, likewise enumerated by him, and which I have quoted,(3) which
those believing in Jesus do. And further, you are aware that the offering
of the two goats, which were enjoined to be sacrificed at the fast, was not
permitted to take place similarly anywhere else, but only in Jerusalem.
CHAP. XLI.--THE OBLATION OF FINE FLOUR WAS A FIGURE OF THE EUCHARIST.
"And the offering of fine flour, sirs," I said, "which was prescribed
to be presented on behalf of those purified from leprosy, was a type of the
bread of the Eucharist, the celebration of which our Lord Jesus Christ
prescribed, in remembrance of the suffering which He endured on behalf of
those who are purified in soul from all iniquity, in order that we may at
the same time thank God for having created the world, with all things
therein, for the sake of man, and for delivering us from the evil in which
we were, and for utterly overthrowing(4) principalities and powers by Him
who suffered according to His will. Hence God speaks by the mouth of
Malachi, one of the twelve [prophets], as I said before,(5) about the
sacrifices at that time presented by you: 'I have no pleasure in you, saith
the Lord; and I will not accept your sacrifices at your hands: for, from
the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, My name has been
glorified among the Gentiles, and in every place incense is offered to My
name, and a pure offering: for My name is great among the Gentiles, saith
the Lord: but ye profane it.'(6) [So] He then speaks of those Gentiles,
namely us, who in every place offer sacrifices to Him, i.e., the bread of
the Eucharist, and also the cup of the Eucharist, affirming both that we
glorify His name, and that you profane [it]. The command of circumcision,
again, bidding [them] always circumcise the children on the eighth day, was
a type of the true circumcision, by which we are circumcised from deceit
and iniquity through Him who rose from the dead on the first day after the
Sabbath, [namely through] our Lord Jesus Christ. For the first day after
the Sabbath, remaining the first(7) of all the days, is called, however,
the eighth, according to the number of all the days of the cycle, and [yet]
remains the first.
CHAP. XLII.--THE BELLS ON THE PRIEST'S ROBE WERE A FIGURE OF THE APOSTLES.
"Moreover, the prescription that twelve bells(8) be attached to the
[robe] of the high priest, which hung down to the feet, was a symbol of the
twelve apostles, who depend on the power of Christ, the eternal Priest; and
through their voice it is that all the earth has been filled with the glory
and grace of God and of His Christ. Wherefore David also says: 'Their sound
has gone forth into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the
world.'(9) And Isaiah speaks as if he were personating the apostles, when
they say to Christ that they believe not in their own report, but in the
power of Him who sent them. And so he says: 'Lord, who hath believed our
report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We have preached
before Him as if [He were] a child, as if a root in a dry ground.'(10) (And
what follows in order of the prophecy already quoted.(11)) But when the
passage speaks as from the lips of many, 'We have preached before Him,' and
adds, 'as if a child,' it signifies that the wicked shall become subject to
Him, and shall obey His command, and that all shall become as one child.
Such a thing as you may witness in the body: although the members are
enumerated as many, all are called one, and are a body. For, indeed, a
commonwealth and a church,(12) though many individuals in number, are in
fact as one, called and addressed by one appellation. And in short, sirs,"
said I, "by enumerating all the other appointments of Moses I can
demonstrate that they were types, and symbols, and declarations of those
things which would happen to Christ, of those who it was foreknown were to
believe in Him, and of those things which would also be done by Christ
Himself. But since what I have now enumerated appears to me to be
sufficient, I revert again to the order of the discourse.(1)
CHAP. XLIII.--HE CONCLUDES THAT THE LAW HAD AN END IN CHRIST, WHO WAS BORN
OF THE VIRGIN.
"As, then, circumcision began with Abraham, and the Sabbath and
sacrifices and offerings and feasts with Moses, and it has been proved they
were enjoined on account of the hardness of your people's heart, so it was
necessary, in accordance with the Father's will, that they should have an
end in Him who was born of a virgin, of the family of Abraham and tribe of
Judah, and of David; in Christ the Son of God, who was proclaimed as about
to come to all the world, to be the everlasting law and the everlasting
covenant, even as the forementioned prophecies show. And we, who have
approached God through Him, have received not carnal, but spiritual
circumcision, which Enoch and those like him observed. And we have received
it through baptism, since we were sinners, by God's mercy; and all men may
equally obtain it. But since the mystery of His birth now demands our
attention I shall speak of it. Isaiah then asserted in regard to the
generation of Christ, that it could not be declared by man, in words
already quoted:(2) 'Who shall declare His generation? for His life is taken
from the earth: for the transgressions of my people was He led(3) to
death.'(4) The Spirit of prophecy thus affirmed that the generation of Him
who was to die, that we sinful men might be healed by His stripes, was such
as could not be declared. Furthermore, that the men who believe in Him may
possess the knowledge of the manner in which He came into the world,(5) the
Spirit of prophecy by the same Isaiah foretold how it would happen thus:
'And the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, Ask for thyself a sign from the
Lord thy God, in the depth, or in the height. And Ahaz said, I will not
ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And Isaiah said, Hear then, O house of
David; Is it a small thing for you to contend with men, and how do you
contend with the Lord? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign.
Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and his name shall
be called Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, before he knows or
prefers the evil, and chooses out the good;(6) for before the child knows
good or ill, he rejects evil(7) by choosing out the good. For before the
child knows how to call father or mother, he shall receive the power of
Damascus and the spoil of Samaria in presence of the king of Assyria. And
the land shall be forsaken,(8) which thou shalt with difficulty endure in
consequence of the presence of its two kings.(9) But God shall bring on
thee, and on thy people, and on the house of thy father, days which have
not yet come upon thee since the day in which Ephraim took away from Judah
the king of Assyria.'(10) Now it is evident to all, that in the race of
Abraham according to the flesh no one has been born of a virgin, or is said
to have been born [of a virgin], save this our Christ. But since you and
your teachers venture to affirm that in the prophecy of Isaiah it is not
said, 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive,' but, 'Behold, the young woman
shall conceive, and bear a son;' and [since] you explain the prophecy as if
[it referred] to Hezekiah, who was your king, I shall endeavor to [discuss
shortly this point in opposition to you, and to show that reference is made
to Him who is acknowledged by us as Christ.
CHAP. XLIV.--THE JEWS IN VAIN PROMISE THEMSELVES SALVATION, WHICH CANNOT BE
OBTAINED EXCEPT THROUGH CHRIST.
"For thus, so far as you are concerned, I shall be found in all
respects innocent, if I strive earnestly to persuade you by bringing
forward demonstrations. But if you remain hard-hearted, or weak in
[forming] a resolution, on account of death, which is the lot of the
Christians, and are unwilling to assent to the truth, you shall appear as
the authors of your own [evils]. And you deceive yourselves while you fancy
that, because you are the seed of Abraham after the flesh, therefore you
shall fully inherit the good things announced to be bestowed by God through
Christ. For no one, not even of them,(11) has anything to look for, but
only those who in mind are assimilated to the faith of Abraham, and who
have recognised all the mysteries: for I say,(1) that some injunctions were
laid on you in reference to the worship of God and practice of
righteousness; but some injunctions and acts were likewise mentioned in
reference to the mystery of Christ, on account of(2) the hardness of your
people's hearts. And that this is so, God makes known in Ezekiel, [when] He
said concerning it: 'If Noah and Jacob(3) and Daniel should beg either sons
or daughters, the request would not be granted them.'(4) And in Isaiah, of
the very same matter He spake thus: 'The Lord God said, they shall both go
forth and look on the members [of the bodies] of the men that have
transgressed. For their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be
quenched, and they shall be a gazing-stock to all flesh.'(5) So that it
becomes you to eradicate this hope from your souls, and hasten to know in
what way forgiveness of sins, and a hope of inheriting the promised good
things, shall be yours. But there is no other [way] than this,--to become
acquainted with this Christ, to be washed in the fountain(6) spoken of by
Isaiah for the remission of sins; and for the rest, to live sinless lives."
CHAP. XLV.--THOSE WHO WERE RIGHTEOUS BEFORE AND UNDER THE LAW SHALL BE
SAVED BY CHRIST.
And Trypho said, "If I seem to interrupt these matters, which you say
must be investigated, yet the question which I mean to put is urgent.
Suffer me first."
And I replied, "Ask whatever you please, as it occurs to you; and I
shall endeavour, after questions and answers, to resume and complete the
discourse."
Then he said, "Tell me, then, shall those who lived according to the
law given by Moses, live in the same manner with Jacob, Enoch, and Noah, in
the resurrection of the dead, or not?"
I replied to him, "When I quoted, sir, the words spoken by Ezekiel,
that 'even if Noah and Daniel and Jacob were to beg sons and daughters, the
request would not be granted them,' but that each one, that is to say,
shall be saved by his own righteousness, I said also, that those who
regulated their lives by the law of Moses would in like manner be saved.
For what in the law of Moses is naturally good, and pious, and righteous,
and has been prescribed to be done by those who obey it;(7) and what was
appointed to be performed by reason of the hardness of the people's hearts;
was similarly recorded, and done also by those who were under the law.
Since those who did that which is universally, naturally, and eternally
good are pleasing to God, they shall be saved through this Christ in the
resurrection equally with those righteous men who were before them, namely
Noah, and Enoch, and Jacob, and whoever else there be, along with those who
have known(8) this Christ, Son of God, who was before the morning star and
the moon, and submitted to become incarnate, and be born of this virgin of
the family of David, in order that, by this dispensation, the serpent that
sinned from the beginning, and the angels like him, may be destroyed, and
that death may be contemned, and for ever quit, at the second coming of the
Christ Himself, those who believe in Him and live acceptably,--and be no
more: when some are sent to be punished unceasingly into judgment and
condemnation of fire; but others shall exist in freedom from suffering,
from corruption, and from grief, and in immortality."
CHAP. XLVI.--TRYPHO ASKS WHETHER A MAN WHO KEEPS THE LAW EVEN NOW WILL BE
SAVED. JUSTIN PROVES THAT IT CONTRIBUTES NOTHING TO RIGHTEOUSNESS.
"But if some, even now, wish to live in the observance of the
institutions given by Moses, and yet believe in this Jesus who was
crucified, recognising Him to be the Christ of God, and that it is given to
Him to be absolute Judge of all, and that His is the everlasting kingdom,
can they also be saved?" he inquired of me.
And I replied, "Let us consider that also together, whether one may now
observe all the Mosaic institutions."
And he answered, "No. For we know that, as you said, it is not possible
either anywhere to sacrifice the lamb of the passover, or to offer the
goats ordered for the fast; or, in short, [to present] all the other
offerings."
And I said, "Tell [me] then yourself, I pray, some things which can be
observed; for you will be persuaded that, though a man does not keep or has
not performed the eternal(6) decrees, he may assuredly be saved."
Then he replied, "To keep the Sabbath, to be circumcised, to observe
months, and to be washed if you touch anything prohibited by Moses, or
after sexual intercourse."
And I said, "Do you think that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, and Job,
and all the rest before or after them equally righteous, also Sarah the
wife of Abraham, Rebekah the wife of Isaac, Rachel the wife of Jacob, and
Leah, and all the rest of them, until the mother of Moses the faithful
servant, who observed none of these [statutes], will be saved?"
And Trypho answered, "Were not Abraham and his descendants
circumcised?"
And I said, "I know that Abraham and his descendants were circumcised.
The reason why circumcision was given to them I stated at length in what
has gone before; and if what has been said does not convince you,(1) let us
again search into the matter. But you are aware that, up to Moses, no one
in fact who was righteous observed any of these rites at all of which we
are talking, or received one commandment to observe, except that of
circumcision, which began from Abraham."
And he replied, "We know it, and admit that they are saved."
Then I returned answer, "You perceive that God by Moses laid all such
ordinances upon you on account of the hardness of your people's hearts, in
order that, by the large number of them, you might keep God continually,
and in every action, before your eyes, and never begin to act unjustly or
impiously. For He enjoined you to place around you [a fringe] of purple
dye,(2) in order that you might not forget God; and He commanded you to
wear a phylactery,(3) certain characters, which indeed we consider holy,
being engraved on very thin parchment; and by these means stirring you
up(4) to retain a constant remembrance of God: at the same time, however,
convincing you, that in your hearts you have not even a faint remembrance
of God's worship. Yet not even so were you dissuaded from idolatry: for in
the times of Elijah, when [God] recounted the number of those who had not
bowed the knee to Baal, He said the number was seven thousand; and in
Isaiah He rebukes you for having sacrificed your children to idols. But we,
because we refuse to sacrifice to those to whom we were of old accustomed
to sacrifice, undergo extreme penalties, and rejoice in death,--believing
that God will raise us up by His Christ, and will make us incorruptible,
and undisturbed, and immortal; and we know that the ordinances imposed by
reason of the hardness of your people's hearts, contribute nothing to the
performance of righteousness and of piety."
CHAP. XLVII.--JUSTIN COMMUNICATES WITH CHRISTIANS WHO OBSERVE THE LAW. NOT
A FEW CATHOLICS DO OTHERWISE.
And Trypho again inquired, "But if some one, knowing that this is so,
after he recognises that this man is Christ, and has believed in and obeys
Him, wishes, however, to observe these [institutions], will he be saved?"
I said, "In my opinion, Trypho, such an one will be saved, if he does
not strive in every way to persuade other men,--I mean those Gentiles who
have been circumcised from error by Christ, to observe the same things as
himself, telling them that they will not be saved unless they do so. This
you did yourself at the commencement of the discourse, when you declared
that I would not be saved unless I observe these institutions."
Then he replied, "Why then have you said, 'In my opinion, such an one
will be saved,' unless there are some(5) who affirm that such will not be
saved?"
"There are such people, Trypho," I answered; "and these do not venture
to have any intercourse with or to extend hospitality to such persons; but
I do not agree with them. But if some, through weak-mindedness, wish to
observe such institutions as were given by Moses, from which they expect
some virtue, but which we believe were appointed by reason of the hardness
of the people's hearts, along with their hope in this Christ, and [wish to
perform] the eternal and natural acts of righteousness and piety, yet
choose to live with the Christians and the faithful, as I said before, not
inducing them either to be circumcised like themselves, or to keep the
Sabbath, or to observe any other such ceremonies, then I hold that we ought
to join ourselves to such, and associate with them in all things as kinsmen
and brethren. But if, Trypho," I continued, "some of your race, who say
they believe in this Christ, compel those Gentiles who believe in this
Christ to live in all respects according to the law given by Moses, or
choose not to associate so intimately with them, I in like manner do not
approve of them. But I believe that even those, who have been persuaded by
them to observe the legal dispensation along with their confession of God
in Christ, shall probably be saved. And I hold, further, that such as have
confessed and known this man to be Christ, yet who have gone back from some
cause to the legal dispensation, and have denied that this man is Christ,
and have repented not before death, shall by no means be saved. Further, I
hold that those of the seed of Abraham who live according to the law, and
do not believe in this Christ before death, shall likewise not be saved,
and especially those who have anathematized and do anathematize this very
Christ in the synagogues, and everything by which they might obtain
salvation and escape the vengeance of fire.(6) For the goodness and the
loving-kindness of God, and His boundless riches, hold righteous and
sinless the man who, as Ezekiel(1) tells, repents of sins; and reckons
sinful, unrighteous, and impious the man who fails away from piety and
righteousness to unrighteousness and ungodliness. Wherefore also our Lord
Jesus Christ said, 'In whatsoever things I shall take you, in these I shall
judge you.' "(2)
CHAP. XLVIII.--BEFORE THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST IS PROVED, HE [TRYPHO] DEMANDS
THAT IT BE SETTLED THAT HE IS CHRIST.
And Trypho said, "We have heard what you think of these matters. Resume
the discourse where you left off, and bring it to an end. For some of it
appears to me to be paradoxical, and wholly incapable of proof. For when
you say that this Christ existed as God before the ages, then that He
submitted to be born and become man, yet that He is not man of man,
this[assertion] appears to me to be not merely paradoxical, but also
foolish."
And I replied to this, "I know that the statement does appear to be
paradoxical, especially to those of your race, who are ever unwilling to
understand or to perform the[requirements] of God, but[ready to perform]
those of your teachers, as God Himself declares.(3) Now assuredly, Trypho,"
I continued,"[the proof] that this man(4) is the Christ of God does not
fail, though I be unable to prove that He existed formerly as Son of the
Maker of all things, being God, and was born a man by the Virgin. But since
I have certainly proved that this man is the Christ of God, whoever He be,
even if I do not prove that He pre-existed, and submitted to be born a man
of like passions with us, having a body, according to the Father's will; in
this last matter alone is it just to say that I have erred, and not to deny
that He is the Christ, though it should appear that He was born man of men,
and[nothing more] is proved[than this], that He has become Christ by
election. For there are some, my friends," I said, "of our race,(5) who
admit that He is Christ, while holding Him to be man of men; with whom I do
not agree, nor would I,(6) even though most of those who have[now] the same
opinions as myself should say so; since we were enjoined by Christ Himself
to put no faith in human doctrines,(7) but in those proclaimed by the
blessed prophets and taught by Himself."
CHAP. XLIX.--TO THOSE WHO OBJECT THAT ELIJAH HAS NOT YET COME, HE REPLIES
THAT HE IS THE PRECURSOR OF THE FIRST ADVENT.
And Trypho said, "Those who affirm him to have been a man, and to have
been anointed by election, and then to have become Christ, appear to me to
speak more plausibly than you who hold those opinions which you express.
For we all expect that Christ will be a man[born] of men, and that Elijah
when he comes will anoint him. But if this man appear to be Christ, he must
certainly be known as man[born] of men; but from the circumstance that
Elijah has not yet come, I infer that this man is not He[the Christ]."
Then I inquired of him, "Does not Scripture, in the book of
Zechariah,(8) say that Elijah shall come before the great and terrible day
of the Lord?"
And he answered, "Certainly."
"If therefore Scripture compels you to admit that two advents of Christ
were predicted to take place,--one in which He would appear suffering, and
dishonoured, and without comeliness; but the other in which He would come
glorious. and Judge of all, as has been made manifest in many of the
forecited passages,--shall we not suppose that the word of God has
proclaimed that Elijah shall be the precursor of the great and terrible
day, that is, of His second advent?"
"Certainly," he answered.
"And, accordingly, our Lord in His teaching," I continued, "proclaimed
that this very thing would take place, saying that Elijah would also come.
And we know that this shall take place when our Lord Jesus Christ shall
come in glory from heaven; whose first manifestation the Spirit of God who
was in Elijah preceded as herald in[the person of] John, a prophet among
your nation; after whom no other prophet appeared among you. He cried, as
he sat by the river Jordan: 'I baptize you with water to repentance; but He
that is stronger than I shall come, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: whose fan is in His
hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and will gather the wheat
into the barn; but the chaff He will burn up with unquenchable fire.'(9)
And this very prophet your king Herod had shut up in prison; and when his
birthday was celebrated, and the niece(10) of the same Herod by her dancing
had pleased him, he told her to ask whatever she pleased.
Then the mother of the maiden instigated her to ask the head of John, who
was in prison; and having asked it,[Herod] sent and ordered the head of
John to be brought in on a charger. Wherefore also our Christ said,[when He
was] on earth, to those who were affirming that Elijah must come before
Christ: 'Elijah shall come, and restore all things; but I say unto you,
that Elijah has already come, and they knew him not, but have done to him
whatsoever they chose.'(1) And it is written, 'Then the disciples
understood that He spake to them about John the Baptist.' "
And Trypho said, "This statement also seems to me paradoxical; namely,
that the prophetic Spirit of God, who was in Elijah, was also in John."
To this I replied, "Do you not think that the same thing happened in
the case of Joshua the son of Nave(Nun), who succeeded to the command of
the people after Moses, when Moses was commanded to lay his hands on
Joshua, and God said to him,(4) I will take of the spirit which is in thee,
and put it on him?' "(2)
And he said, "Certainly."
"As therefore," I say, "while Moses was still among men, God took of
the spirit which was in Moses and put it on Joshua, even so God was able to
cause[the spirit] of Elijah to come upon John; in order that, as Christ at
His first coming appeared inglorious, even so the first coming of the
spirit, which remained always pure in Elijah s like that of Christ, might
be perceived to be inglorious. For the Lord said He would wage war against
Amalek with concealed hand; and you will not deny that Amalek fell. But if
it is said that only in the glorious advent of Christ war will be waged
with Amalek, how great will the fulfilment(4) of Scripture be which says,
'God will wage war against Amalek with concealed hand!' You can perceive
that the concealed power of God was in Christ the crucified, before whom
demons, and all the principalities and powers of the earth, tremble."
CHAP. L.--IT IS PROVED FROM ISAIAH THAT JOHN IS THE PRECURSOR OF CHRIST.
And Trypho said, "You seem to me to have come out of a great conflict
with many persons about all the points we have been searching into, and
therefore quite ready to return answers to all questions put to you. Answer
me then, first, how you can show that there is another God besides the
Maker of all things; and then you will show,[further], that He submitted to
be born of the Virgin."
I replied, "Give me permission first of all to quote certain passages
from the prophecy of Isaiah, which refer to the office of forerunner
discharged by John the Baptist and prophet before this our Lord Jesus
Christ." "I grant it," said he.
Then I said, "Isaiah thus foretold John's forerunning: 'And Hezekiah
said to Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which He spake: Let there be
peace and righteousness in my days.'(5) And, 'Encourage the people; ye
priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and encourage her, because her
humiliation is accomplished. Her sin is annulled; for she has received of
the Lord's hand double for her sins. A voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Prepare the ways of the Lord; make straight the paths of our
God. Every valley shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be
brought low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough way
shall be plain ways; and the glory of the Lord thall be seen, and all flesh
shall see the salvation of God: for the Lord hath spoken it. A voice of one
saying, Cry; and I said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the
glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass has withered, and the flower
of it has fallen away; but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. Thou
that bringest good tidings to Zion, go up to the high mountain; thou that
bringest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength. Lift
ye up, be not afraid; tell the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold,
the Lord comes with strength, and[His] arm comes with authority. Behold,
His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. As a shepherd He will tend
His flock, and will gather the lambs with[His] arm, and cheer on her that
is with young. Who has measured the water with[his] hand, and the heaven
with a span, and all the earth with[his] fist? Who has weighed the
mountains, and[put] the valleys into a balance? Who has known the mind of
the Lord? And who has been His counsellor, and who shall advise Him? Or
with whom did He take counsel, and he instructed Him? Or who showed Him
judgment? Or who made Him to know the way of understanding? All the nations
are reckoned as a drop of a bucket, and as a turning of a balance, and
shall be reckoned as spittle. But Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor
the beasts sufficient for a burnt-offering; and all the nations are
considered nothing, and for nothing.' "(6)
CHAP. LI.--IT IS PROVED THAT THIS PROPHECY HAS BEEN FULFILLED.
And when I ceased, Trypho said, "All the words of the prophecy you
repeat, sir, are ambiguous, and have no force in proving what you wish to
prove." Then I answered, "If the prophets had not ceased, so that there
were no more in your nation, Trypho, after this John, it is evident that
what I say in reference to Jesus Christ might be regarded perhaps as
ambiguous. But if John came first calling on men to repent, and Christ,
while[John] still sat by the river Jordan, having come, put an end to his
prophesying and baptizing, and preached also Himself, saying that the
kingdom of heaven is at hand, and that He must suffer many things from the
Scribes and Pharisees, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again,
and would appear again in Jerusalem, and would again eat and drink with His
disciples; and foretold that in the interval between His[first and second]
advent, as I previously said,(1) priests and false prophets would arise in
His name, which things do actually appear; then how can they be ambiguous,
when you may be persuaded by the facts? Moreover, He referred to the fact
that there would be no longer in your nation any prophet, and to the fact
that men recognised how that the New Testament, which God formerly
announced[His intention of] promulgating, was then present, i.e., Christ
Himself; and in the following terms: 'The law and the prophets were until
John the Baptist; from that time the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence,
and the violent take it by force. And if you can(2) receive it, he is
Elijah, who was to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.'(3)
CHAP. LII.--JACOB PREDICTED TWO ADVENTS OF CHRIST.
"And it was prophesied by Jacob the patriarch(4) that there would be
two advents of Christ, and that in the first He would suffer, and that
after He came there would be neither prophet nor king in your nation(I
proceeded), and that the nations who believed in the suffering Christ would
look for His future appearance. And for this reason the Holy Spirit had
uttered these truths in a parable, and obscurely: for," I added, "it is
said, 'Judah, thy brethren have praised thee: thy hands[shall be] on the
neck of thine enemies; the sons of thy father shall worship thee. Judah is
a lion's whelp; from the germ, my son, thou art sprung up. Reclining, he
lay down like a lion, and like[a lion's] whelp: who shall raise him up? A
ruler shall not depart from Judah, or a leader from his thighs, until that
which is laid up in store for him shah come; and he shall be the desire of
nations, binding his foal to the vine, and the foal of his ass to the
tendril of the vine. He shall wash his garments in wine, and his vesture in
the blood of the grape. His eyes shall be bright with s wine, and his teeth
white like milk.'(6) Moreover, that in your nation there never failed
either prophet or ruler, from the time when they began until the time when
this Jesus Christ appeared and suffered, you will not venture shamelessly
to assert, nor can you prove it. For though you affirm that Herod, after(7)
whose[reign] He suffered, was an Ashkelonite, nevertheless you admit that
there was a high priest in your nation; so that you then had one who
presented offerings according to the law of Moses, and observed the other
legal ceremonies; also[you had] prophets in succession until John,(even
then, too, when your nation was carried captive to Babylon, when your land
was ravaged by war, and the sacred vessels carried off); there never failed
to be a prophet among you, who was lord, and leader, and ruler of your
nation. For the Spirit which was in the prophets anointed your kings, and
established them. But after the manifestation and death of our Jesus Christ
in your nation, there was and is nowhere any prophet: nay, further, you
ceased to exist under your own king, your land was laid waste, and forsaken
like a lodge m a vineyard; and the statement of Scripture, in the mouth of
Jacob, 'And He shall be the desire of nations,' meant symbolically His two
advents, and that the nations would believe in Him; which facts you may now
at length discern. For those out of all the nations who are pious and
righteous through the faith of Christ, look for His future appearance.
CHAP. LIII.--JACOB PREDICTED THAT CHRIST WOULD RIDE ON AN ASS, AND
ZECHARIAH CONFIRMS IT.
"And that expression, 'binding his foal to the vine, and the ass's foal
to the vine tendril,' was a declaring beforehand both of the works wrought
by Him at His first advent, and also of that belief in Him which the
nations would repose. For they were like an unharnessed foal, which was not
bearing a yoke on its neck, until this Christ came, and sent His disciples
to instruct them; and they bore the yoke of His word, and yielded the neck
to endure all[hardships], for the sake of the good things promised by
Himself, and expected by them. And truly our Lord Jesus Christ, when He
intended to go into Jerusalem, requested His disciples to bring Him a
certain ass, along with its foal, which was bound in an entrance of a
village called Bethphage; and having seated Himself on it, He entered into
Jerusalem. And as this was done by Him in the manner in which it was
prophesied in precise terms that it would be done by the Christ, and as the
fulfilment was recognised, it became a clear proof that He was the Christ.
And though all this happened and is proved from Scripture, you are still
hard-hearted. Nay, it was prophesied by Zechariah, one of the
twelve[prophets], that such would take place, in the following words:
'Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; shout, and declare, daughter of
Jerusalem; behold, thy King shall come to thee, righteous, bringing
salvation, meek, and lowly, riding on an ass, and the foal of an ass.'(1)
Now, that the Spirit of prophecy, as well as the patriarch Jacob, mentioned
both an ass and its foal, which would be used by Him; and, further, that
He, as I previously said, requested His disciples to bring both
beasts;[this fact] was a prediction that you of the synagogue, along with
the Gentiles, would believe in Him. For as the unharnessed colt was a
symbol of the Gentiles even so the harnessed ass was a symbol of your
nation. For you possess the law which was imposed[upon you] by the
prophets. Moreover, the prophet Zechariah foretold that this same Christ
would be smitten, and His disciples scattered: which also took place. For
after His crucifixion, the disciples that accompanied Him were dispersed,
until He rose from the dead, and persuaded them that so it had been
prophesied concerning Him, that He would suffer; and being thus persuaded,
they went into all the world, and taught these truths. Hence also we are
strong in His faith and doctrine, since we have[this our] persuasion both
from the prophets, and from those who throughout the world are seen to be
worshippers of God in the name of that crucified One. The following is
said, too, by Zechariah: 'O sword, rise up against My Shepherd, and against
the man of My people, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite the Shepherd, and His
flock shall be scattered.'(2)
CHAP. LIV.--WHAT THE BLOOD OF THE GRAPE SIGNIFIES.
"And that expression which was committed to writing(3) by Moses, and
prophesied by the patriarch Jacob, namely, 'He shall wash His garments with
wine, and His vesture with the blood of the grape,' signified that He would
wash those that believe in Him with His own blood. For the Holy Spirit
called those who receive remission of sins through Him, His garments;
amongst whom He is always present in power, but will be manifestly present
at His second coming. That the Scripture mentions the blood of the grape
has been evidently designed, because Christ derives blood not from the seed
of man, but from the power of God. For as God, and not man, has produced
the blood of the vine, so also[the Scripture] has predicted that the blood
of Christ would be not of the seed of man, but of the power of God. But
this prophecy, sirs, which I repeated, proves that Christ is not man of
men, begotten in the ordinary course of humanity."
CHAP. LV.--TRYPHO ASKS THAT CHRIST BE PROVED GOD, BUT WITHOUT METAPHOR.
JUSTIN PROMISES TO DO SO.
And Trypho answered, "We shall remember this your exposition, if you
strengthen[your solution of] this difficulty by other arguments: but now
resume the discourse, and show us that the Spirit of prophecy admits
another God besides the Maker of all things, taking care not to speak of
the sun and moon, which, it is written,(4) God has given to the nations to
worship as gods; and oftentimes the prophets, employing(5) this manner of
speech, say that 'thy God is a God of gods, and a Lord of lords,' adding
frequently, 'the great and strong and terrible[God].' For such expressions
are used, not as if they really were gods, but because the Scripture is
teaching us that the true God, who made all things, is Lord alone of those
who are reputed gods and lords. And in order that the Holy Spirit may
convince[us] of this, He said by the holy David, 'The gods of the nations,
reputed gods, are idols of demons, and not gods;'(6) and He denounces a
curse on those who worship them."
And I replied, "I would not bring forward these proofs, Trypho, by
which I am aware those who worship these[idols] and such like are
condemned, but such[proofs] as no one could find any objection to. They
will appear strange to you, although you read them every day; so that even
from this fact we(7) understand that, because of your wickedness, God has
withheld from you the ability to discern the wisdom of His Scriptures;
yet[there are] some exceptions, to whom, according to the grace of His
long-suffering, as Isaiah said, He has left a seed of(8) salvation, lest
your race be utterly destroyed, like Sodom and Gomorrah. Pay attention,
therefore, to what I shall record out of the holy Scriptures, which(9) do
not need to be expounded, but only listened to.
CHAP. LVI.--GOD WHO APPEARED TO MOSES IS DISTINGUISHED FROM GOD THE FATHER.
"Moses, then, the blessed and faithful servant of God, declares that He
who appeared to Abraham under the oak in Mamre is God, sent with the two
angels in His company to judge Sodom by Another who remains ever in the
supercelestial places, invisible to all men, holding personal intercourse
with none, whom we believe to be Maker and Father of all things; for he
speaks thus: 'God appeared to him under the oak in Mature, as he sat at his
tent-door at noontide. And lifting up his eyes, he saw, and behold, three
men stood before him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the
door of his tent; and he bowed himself toward the ground, and said;'
"(1)(and so on;)(2) " 'Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place
where he stood before the Lord: and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah,
and toward the adjacent country, and beheld, and, lo, a flame went up from
the earth, like the smoke of a furnace.'" And when I had made an end of
quoting these words, I asked them if they had understood them. And they
said they had understood them, but that the passages adduced brought
forward no proof that there is any other God or Lord, or that the Holy
Spirit says so, besides the Maker of all things.
Then I replied, "I shall attempt to persuade you, since you have
understood the Scriptures,[of the truth] of what I say, that there is, and
that there is said to be, another God and Lord subject to(3) the Maker of
all things; who is also called an Angel, because He announces to men
whatsoever the Maker of all things--above whom there is no other God--
wishes to announce to them." And quoting once more the previous passage, I
asked Trypho, "Do you think that God appeared to Abraham under the oak in
Mature, as the Scripture asserts?"
He said, "Assuredly."
"Was He one of those three," I said, "whom Abraham saw, and whom the
Holy Spirit of prophecy describes as men?"
He said, "No; but God appeared to him, before the vision of the three.
Then those three whom the Scripture calls men, were angels; two of them
sent to destroy Sodom, and one to announce the joyful tidings to Sarah,
that she would bear a son; for which cause he was sent, and having
accomplished his errand, went away."(4)
"How then," said I, "does the one of the three, who was in the tent,
and who said, 'I shall return to thee hereafter, and Sarah shall have a
son,'(5) appear to have returned when Sarah had begotten a son, and to be
there declared, by the prophetic word, God? But that you may clearly
discern what I say, listen to the words expressly employed by Moses; they
are these: 'And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian bond-woman, whom
she bore to Abraham, sporting with Isaac her son, and said to Abraham, Cast
out this bond-woman and her son; for the son of this bond-woman shall not
share the inheritance of my son Isaac. And the matter seemed very grievous
in Abraham's sight, because of his son. But God said to Abraham, Let it not
be grievous in thy sight because of the son, and because of the bond-woman.
In all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken to her voice; for in Isaac
shall thy seed be called.'(6) Have you perceived, then, that He who said
under the oak that He would return, since He knew it would be necessary to
advise Abraham to do what Sarah wished him, came back as it is written; and
is God, as the words declare, when they so speak: 'God said to Abraham, Let
it not be grievous in thy sight because of the son, and because of the
bond-woman?' " I inquired. And Trypho said, "Certainly; but you have not
proved from this that there is another God besides Him who appeared to
Abraham, and who also appeared to the other patriarchs and prophets. You
have proved, however, that we were wrong in believing that the three who
were in the tent with Abraham were all angels."
I replied again, "If I could not have proved to you from the Scriptures
that one of those three is God, and is called Angel,(7) because, as I
already said, He brings messages to those to whom God the Maker of all
things wishes[messages to be brought], then in regard to Him who appeared
to Abraham on earth in human form in like manner as the two angels who came
with Him, and who was God even before the creation of the world, it were
reasonable for you to entertain the same belief as is entertained by the
whole of your nation."
"Assuredly," he said, "for up to this moment this has been our belief."
Then I replied, "Reverting to the Scriptures, I shall endeavour to
persuade you, that He who is said to have appeared to Abraham, and to
Jacob, and to Moses, and who is called God, is distinct from Him who made
all things,--numerically, I mean, not[distinct] in will. For I affirm that
He has never at any time done(8) anything which He who made the world--
above whom there is no other God--has not wished Him both to do and to
engage Himself with."
And Trypho said, "Prove now that this is the case, that we also may
agree with you. For we do not understand you to affirm that He has done or
said anything contrary to the will of the Maker of all things."
Then I said, "The Scripture just quoted by me will make this plain to
you. It is thus: 'The sun was risen on the earth, and Lot entered into
Segor(Zoar); and the Lord rained on Sodom sulphur and fire from the Lord
out of heaven, and overthrew these cities and all the neighbourhood.' "(1)
Then the fourth of those who had remained with Trypho said, "It(2) must
therefore necessarily be said that one of the two angels who went to Sodom,
and is named by Moses in the Scripture Lord, is different from Him who also
is God and appeared to Abraham."(3)
"It is not on this ground solely," I said, "that it must be admitted
absolutely that some other one is called Lord by the Holy Spirit besides
Him who is considered Maker of all things; not solely[for what is said] by
Moses, but also[for what is said] by David. For there is written by him:
'The Lord says to my Lord, Sit on My right hand, until I make Thine enemies
Thy footstool,'(4) as I have already quoted. And again, in other words:
'Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. A sceptre of equity is the
sceptre of Thy kingdom: Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity:
therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness
above Thy fellows.'(5) If, therefore, you assert that the Holy Spirit calls
some other one God and Lord, besides the Father of all things and His
Christ, answer me; for I undertake to prove to you from Scriptures
themselves, that He whom the Scripture calls Lord is not one of the two
angels that went to Sodom, but He who was with them, and is called God,
that appeared to Abraham."
And Trypho said, "Prove this; for, as you see, the day advances, and we
are not prepared for such perilous replies; since never yet have we heard
any man investigating, or searching into, or proving these matters; nor
would we have tolerated your conversation, had you not referred everything
to the Scriptures:(6) for you are very zealous in adducing proofs from
them; and you are of opinion that there is no God above the Maker of all
things."
Then I replied, "You are aware, then, that the Scripture says, 'And the
Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah hugh, saying, Shall I truly conceive?
for I am old. Is anything impossible with God? At the time appointed shall
I return to thee according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a
son.'(7) And after a little interval: 'And the men rose up from thence, and
looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah; and Abraham went with them, to bring
them on the way. And the Lord said, I will not conceal from Abraham, my
servant, what I do.'(8) And again, after a little, it thus says: 'The Lord
said, The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great,(9) and their sins are very
grievous. I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether
according to their cry which has come unto me; and if not, that I may know.
And the men turned away thence, and went to Sodom. But Abraham was standing
before the Lord; and Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt Thou destroy the
righteous with the wicked?' "(10)(and so on,(11) for I do not think fit to
write over again the same words, having written them all before, but shall
of necessity give those by which I established the proof to Trypho and his
companions. Then I proceeded to what follows, in which these words are
recorded:) " 'And the Lord went His way as soon as He had left communing
with Abraham; and[Abraham] went to his place. And there came two angels to
Sodom at even. And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom;'(12) and what follows
until, 'But the men put forth their hands, and pulled Lot into the house to
them, and shut to the door of the house;'(13) and what follows till, 'And
the angels laid hold on his hand, and on the hand of his wife, and on the
hands of his daughters, the Lord being merciful to him. And it came to
pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that they said, Save, save
thy life. Look not behind thee, nor stay in all the neighbourhood; escape
to the mountain, lest thou be taken along with[them]. And Lot said to them,
I beseech[Thee], O Lord, since Thy servant bath found grace in Thy sight,
and Thou hast magnified Thy righteousness, which Thou showest towards me in
saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me,
and I die. Behold, this city is near to flee unto, and it is small: there I
shall be safe, since it is small; and any soul shall live. And He said to
him, Behold, I have accepted thee(14) also in this matter, so as not to
destroy the city for which thou hast spoken. Make haste to save thyself
there; for I shall not do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore he
called the name of the city Segor(Zoar). The sun was risen upon the earth;
and Lot entered into Segor(Zoar). And the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah
sulphur and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and He overthrew these
cities, and all the neighbourhood.'"(1) And after another pause I added:
"And now have you not perceived, my friends, that one of the three, who is
both God and Lord, and ministers to Him who is in the heavens, is Lord of
the two angels? For when[the angels] proceeded to Sodom, He remained
behind, and communed with Abraham in the words recorded by Moses; and when
He departed after the conversation, Abraham went back to his place. And
when he came[to Sodom], the two angels no longer conversed with Lot, but
Himself, as the Scripture makes evident; and He is the Lord who received
commission from the Lord who[remains] in the heavens, i.e.,the Maker of all
things, to inflict upon Sodom and Gomorrah the[judgments] which the
Scripture describes in these terms:'The Lord rained down upon Sodom and
Gomorrah sulphur and fire from the Lord out of heaven.' "
CHAP. LVII.--THE JEW OBJECTS, WHY IS HE SAID TO HAVE EATEN, IF HE BE GOD?
ANSWER OF JUSTIN.
Then Trypho said when I was silent, "That Scripture compels us to admit
this, is manifest; but there is a matter about which we are deservedly at a
loss--namely, about what was said to the effect that[the Lord] ate what was
prepared and placed before him by Abraham; and you would admit this."
I answered, "It is written that they ate; and if we believe(2) that it
is said the three ate, and not the two alone--who were really angels, and
are nourished in the heavens, as is evident to us, even though they are not
nourished by food similar to that which mortals use--(for, concerning the
sustenance of manna which supported your fathers in the desert, Scripture
speaks thus, that they ate angels'food):[if we believe that three ate],
then I would say that the Scripture which affirms they ate bears the same
meaning as when we would say about fire that it has devoured all things;
yet it is not certainly understood that they ate, masticating with teeth
and jaws. So that not even here should we be at a loss about anything, if
we are acquainted even slightly with figurative modes of expression, and
able to rise above them."
And Trypho said, "It is possible that[the question] about the mode of
eating may be thus explained:[the mode, that is to say,] in which it is
written, they took and ate what had been prepared by Abraham: so that you
may now proceed to explain to us how this God who appeared to Abraham, and
is minister to God the Maker of all things, being born of the Virgin,
became man, of like passions with all, as you said previously."
Then I replied, "Permit me first, Trypho, to collect some other proofs
on this head, so that you, by the large number of them, may be persuaded
of[the truth of] it, and thereafter I shall explain what you ask."
And he said, "Do as seems good to you; for I shall be thoroughly
pleased."
CHAP. LVIII.--THE SAME IS PROVED FROM THE VISIONS WHICH APPEARED TO JACOB.
Then I continued, "I purpose to quote to you Scriptures, not that I am
anxious to make merely an artful display of words; for I possess no such
faculty, but God's grace alone has been granted to me to the understanding
of His Scriptures, of which grace I exhort all to become partakers freely
and bounteously, in order that they may not, through want of it,(3) incur
condemnation in the judgment which God the Maker of all things shall hold
through my Lord Jesus Christ."
And Trypho said, "What you do is worthy of the worship of God; but you
appear to me to feign ignorance when you say that you do not possess a
store of artful words."
I again replied, "Be it so, since you think so; yet I am persuaded that
I speak the truth.(4) But give me your attention, that I may now rather
adduce the remaining proofs."
"Proceed," said he.
And I continued: "It is again written by Moses, my brethren, that He
who is called God and appeared to the patriarchs is called both Angel and
Lord, in order that from this you may understand Him to be minister to the
Father of all things, as you have already admitted, and may remain firm,
persuaded by additional arguments. The word of God, therefore,[recorded] by
Moses, when referring to Jacob the grandson of Abraham, speaks thus: 'And
it came to pass, when the sheep conceived, that I saw them with my eyes in
the dream: And, behold, the he-goats and the rams which leaped upon the
sheep and she-goats were spotted with white, and speckled and sprinkled
with a dun colour. And the Angel of God said to me in the dream, Jacob,
Jacob. And I said, What is it, Lord? And He said, Lift up thine eyes, and
see that the he-goats and rams leaping on the sheep and she-goats are
spotted with white, speckled, and sprinkled with a dun colour. For I have
seen what Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God who appeared to thee in
Bethel,(1) where thou anointedst a pillar and vowedst a vow unto Me. Now
therefore arise, and get thee out of this land, and depart to the land of
thy birth, and I shall be with thee.(2) And again, in other words, speaking
of the same Jacob, it thus says: 'And having risen up that night, he took
the two wives, and the two women-servants, and his eleven children, and
passed over the ford Jabbok; and he took them and went over the brook, and
sent over all his belongings. But Jacob was left behind alone, and an
Angel(3) wrestled with him until morning. And He saw that He is not
prevailing against him, and He touched the broad part of his thigh; and the
broad part of Jacob's thigh grew stiff while he wrestled with Him. And He
said, Let Me go, for the day breaketh. But he said, I will not let Thee go,
except Thou bless me. And He said to him, What is thy name? And he said,
Jacob. And He said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel
shall be thy name; for thou hast prevailed with God, and with men shalt be
powerful. And Jacob asked Him, and said, Tell me Thy name. But he said, Why
dost thou ask after My name? And He blessed him there. And Jacob called the
name of that place Peniel,(4) for I saw God face to face, and my soul
rejoiced.'(5) And again, in other terms, referring to the same Jacob, it
says the following: 'And Jacob came to Luz, in the land of Canaan, which is
Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. And there he built an
altar, and called the name of that place Bethel; for there God appeared to
him when he fled from the face of his brother Esau. And Deborah, Rebekah's
nurse, died, and was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and Jacob called
the name of it The Oak of Sorrow. And God appeared again to Jacob in Luz,
when he came out from Mesopotamia in Syria, and He blessed him. And God
said to him, Thy name shall be no more called Jacob, but Israel shall he
thy name.'(6) He is called God, and He is and shall be God." And when all
had agreed on these grounds, I continued: "Moreover, I consider it
necessary to repeat to you the words which narrate how He who is both Angel
and God and Lord, and who appeared as a man to Abraham, and who wrestled in
human form with Jacob, was seen by him when he fled from his brother Esau.
They are as follows: 'And Jacob went out from the well of the oath,(7) and
went toward Charran.(8)
And he lighted on a spot, and slept there, for the sun was set; and he
gathered of the stones of the place, and put them under his head. And he
slept in that place; and he dreamed, and, behold, a ladder was set up on
the earth, whose top reached to heaven; and the angels of God ascended and
descended upon it. And the Lord stood(9) above it, and He said, I am the
Lord, the God of Abraham thy father, and of Isaac; be not afraid: the land
whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed
shall be as the dust of the earth, and shall be extended to the west, and
south, and north, and east: and in thee, and in thy seed, shall all
families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, keeping thee
in every way wherein thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land;
for I will not leave thee, until I have done all that I have spoken to thee
of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and said, Surely the Lord is in this
place, and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this
place! this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of
heaven. And Jacob rose up in the morning, and took the stone which he had
placed under his head, and he set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon
the top of it; and Jacob called the name of the place The House of God, and
the name of the city formerly was Ulammaus.'"(10)
CHAP. LIX.--GOD DISTINCT FROM THE FATHER CONVERSED WITH MOSES.
When I had spoken these words, I continued: "Permit me, further, to
show you from the book of Exodus how this same One, who is both Angel, and
God, and Lord, and man, and who appeared in human form to Abraham and
Isaac,(11) appeared in a flame of fire from the bush, and conversed with
Moses." And after they said they would listen cheerfully, patiently, and
eagerly, I went on: "These words are in the book which bears the title of
Exodus: 'And after many days the king of Egypt died, and the children of
Israel groaned by reason of the works;'(12) and so on until,'Go and gather
the elders of Israel, and thou shalt say unto them, The Lord God of your
fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath
appeared to me, saying, I am surely beholding you, and the things which
have befallen you in Egypt.'"(13) In addition to these words, I went on:
"Have you perceived, sirs, that this very God whom Moses speaks of as an
Angel that talked to him in the flame of fire, declares to Moses that He is
the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob?"
CHAP. LX.--OPINIONS OF THE JEWS WITH REGARD TO HIM WHO APPEARED IN THE
BUSH.
Then Trypho said, "We do not perceive this from the passage quoted by
you, but[only this], that it was an angel who appeared in the flame of
fire, but God who conversed with Moses; so that there were really two
persons in company with each other, an angel and God, that appeared in that
vision."
I again replied, "Even if this were so, my friends, that an angel and
God were together in the vision seen by Moses, yet, as has already been
proved to you by the passages previously quoted, it will not be the Creator
of all things that is the God that said to Moses that He was the God of
Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, but it will be He who
has been proved to you to have appeared to Abraham, ministering to the will
of the Maker of all things, and likewise carrying into execution His
counsel in the judgment of Sodom; so that, even though it be as you say,
that there were two--an angel and God--he who has but the smallest
intelligence will not venture to assert that the Maker and Father of all
things, having left all supercelestial matters, was visible on a little
portion of the earth."
And Trypho said, "Since it has been previously proved that He who is
called God and Lord, and appeared to Abraham, received from the Lord, who
is in the heavens, that which He inflicted on the land of Sodom, even
although an angel had accompanied the God who appeared to Moses, we shall
perceive that the God who communed with Moses from the bush was not the
Maker of all things, but He who has been shown to have manifested Himself
to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob; who also is called and is perceived
to be the Angel of God the Maker of all things, because He publishes to men
the commands of the Father and Maker of all things."
And I replied, "Now assuredly, Trypho, I shall show that, in the vision
of Moses, this same One alone who is called an Angel, and who is God,
appeared to and communed with Moses. For the Scripture says thus:'The Angel
of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the bush; and he sees
that the bush bums with fire, but the bush was not consumed. And Moses
said, I will turn aside and see this great sight, for the bush is not
burnt. And when the Lord saw that he is turning aside to behold, the Lord
called to him out of the bush.'(1) In the same manner, therefore, in which
the Scripture calls Him who appeared to Jacob in the dream an Angel,
then[says] that the same Angel who appeared in the dream spoke to him,(2)
saying,'I am the God that appeared to thee when thou didst flee from the
face of Esau thy brother;'and[again] says that, in the judgment which
befell Sodom in the days of Abraham, the Lord had inflicted the
punishment(3) of the Lord who[dwells] in the heavens;--even so here, the
Scripture, in announcing that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses, and
in afterwards declaring him to be Lord and God, speaks of the same One,
whom it declares by the many testimonies already quoted to be minister to
God, who is above the world, above whom there is no other [God].
CHAP. LXI--WISDOM IS BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER, AS FIRE FROM FIRE.
"I shall give you another testimony, my friends," said I, "from the
Scriptures, that God begat before all creatures a Beginning,(4)[who was] a
certain rational power[proceeding] from Himself, who is called by the Holy
Spirit, now the Glory of the Lord, now the Son, again Wisdom, again an
Angel, then God, and then Lord and Logos; and on another occasion He calls
Himself Captain, when He appeared in human form to Joshua the son of
Nave(Nun). For He can be called by all those names, since He ministers to
the Father's will, and since He was begotten of the Father by an act of
will;(5) just as we see(6) happening among ourselves: for when we give out
some word, we beget the word; yet not by abscission, so as to lessen the
word(7)[which remains] in us, when we give it out: and just as we see also
happening in the case of a fire, which is not lessened when it has
kindled[another], but remains the same; and that which has been kindled by
it likewise appears to exist by itself, not diminishing that from which it
was kindled. The Word of Wisdom, who is Himself this God begotten of the
Father of all things, and Word, and Wisdom, and Power, and the Glory of the
Begetter, will bear evidence to me, when He speaks by Solomon the
following:'If I shall declare to you what happens daily, I shall call to
mind events from everlasting, and review them. The Lord made me the
beginning of His ways for His works. From everlasting He established me in
the beginning, before He had made the earth, and before He had made the
deeps, before the springs of the waters had issued forth, before the
mountains had been established. Before all the hills He begets me. God made
the country, and the desert, and the highest inhabited places under the
sky. When He made ready the heavens, I was along with Him, and when He set
up His throne on the winds: when He made the high clouds strong, and the
springs of the deep safe, when He made the foundations of the earth, I was
with Him arranging. I was that in which He rejoiced; daily and at all times
I delighted in His countenance, because He delighted in the finishing of
the habitable world, and delighted in the sons of men. Now, therefore, O
son, hear me. Blessed is the man who shall listen to me, and the mortal who
shall keep my ways, watching(1) daily at my doors, observing the posts of
my ingoings. For my outgoings are the outgoings of life, and[my] will has
been prepared by the Lord. But they who sin against me, trespass against
their own souls; and they who hate me love death.'(2)
CHAP. LXII.--THE WORDS "LET US MAKE MAN" AGREE WITH THE TESTIMONY OF
PROVERBS.
"And the same sentiment was expressed, my friends, by the word of
God[written] by Moses, when it indicated to us, with regard to Him whom it
has pointed out,(3) that God speaks in the creation of man with the very
same design, in the following words:'Let Us make man after our image and
likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the heaven, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over
all the creeping things that creep on the earth. And God created man: after
the image of God did He create him; male and female created He them. And
God blessed them, and said, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and
have power over it.(4) And that you may not change the[force of the] words
just quoted, and repeat what your teachers assert,--either that God said to
Himself,'Let Us make,'just as we, when about to do something, oftentimes
say to ourselves,'Let us make;'or that God spoke to the elements, to wit,
the earth and other similar substances of which we believe man was
formed,'Let Us make,'--I shall quote again the words narrated by Moses
himself, from which we can indisputably learn that[God] conversed with some
one who was numerically distinct from Himself, and also a rational Being.
These are the words:'And God said, Behold, Adam has become as one of us, to
know good and evil.'(5) In saying, therefore,'as one of us,'[Moses] has
declared that[there is a certain] number of persons associated with one
another, and that they are at least two. For I would not say that the dogma
of that heresy(6) which is said to be among you(7) is true, or that the
teachers of it can prove that[God] spoke to angels, or that the human frame
was the workmanship of angels. But this Offspring, which was truly brought
forth from the Father, was with the Father before all the creatures, and
the Father communed with Him; even as the Scripture by Solomon has made
clear, that He whom Solomon calls Wisdom, was begotten as a Beginning
before all His creatures and as Offspring by God, who has also declared
this same thing in the revelation made by Joshua the son of Nave(Nun).
Listen, therefore, to the following from the book of Joshua, that what I
say may become manifest to you; it is this: 'And it came to pass, when
Joshua was near Jericho, he lifted up his eyes, and sees a man standing
over against him. And Joshua approached to Him, and said, Art thou for us,
or for our adversaries? And He said to him, I am Captain of the Lord's
host: now have I come. And Joshua fell on his face on the ground, and said
to Him, Lord, what commandest Thou Thy servant? And the Lord's Captain says
to Joshua, Loose the shoes off thy feet; for the place whereon thou
standest is holy ground. And Jericho was shut up and fortified, and no one
went out of it. And the Lord said to Joshua, Behold, I give into thine hand
Jericho, and its king,[and] its mighty men.'"(8)
CHAP. LXIII.--IT IS PROVED THAT THIS GOD WAS INCARNATE.
And Trypho said, "This point has been proved to me forcibly, and by
many arguments, my friend. It remains, then, to prove that He submitted to
become man by the Virgin, according to the will of His Father; and to be
crucified, and to die. Prove also clearly, that after this He rose again
and ascended to heaven."
I answered, "This, too, has been already demonstrated by me in the
previously quoted words of the prophecies, my friends; which, by recalling
and expounding for your sakes, I shall endover to lead you to agree with me
also about this matter. The passage, then, which Isaiah records,'Who shall
declare His generation? for His life is taken away from the earth,(1)--does
it not appear to you to refer to One who, not having descent from men, was
said to be delivered over to death by God for the transgressions of the
people?--of whose blood, Moses(as I mentioned before), when speaking in
parable, said, that He would wash His garments in the blood of the grape;
since His blood did not spring from the seed of man, but from the will of
God. And then, what is said by David,'In the splendours of Thy holiness
have I begotten Thee from the womb, before the morning star.(2) The Lord
hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever, after the
order of Melchizedek,'(3)--does this not declare to you(4) that[He was]
from of old,(5) and that the God and Father of all things intended Him to
be begotten by a human womb? And speaking in other words, which also have
been already quoted,[he says]:'Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a
sceptre of rectitude is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved
righteousness, and hast hated iniquity: therefore God, even thy God, hath
anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.[He hath anointed
Thee] with myrrh, and oil, and cassia from Thy garments, from the ivory
palaces, whereby they made Thee glad. Kings' daughters are in Thy honour.
The queen stood at Thy right hand, clad in garments embroidered with
gold.(6) Hearken, O daughter, and behold, and incline thine ear, and forget
thy people and the house of thy father; and the King shall desire thy
beauty: because he is thy Lord, and thou shalt worship Him.'(7) Therefore
these words testify explicitly that He is witnessed to by Him who
established these things,(8) as deserving to be worshipped, as God and as
Christ. Moreover, that the word of God speaks to those who believe in Him
as being one soul, and one synagogue, and one church, as to a daughter;
that it thus addresses the church which has sprung from His name and
partakes of His name(for we are all called Christians), is distinctly
proclaimed in like manner in the following words, which teach us also to
forget[our] old ancestral customs, when they speak thus:(9)'Hearken, O
daughter, and behold, and incline thine ear; forget thy people and the
house of thy father, and the King shall desire thy beauty: because He is
thy Lord, and thou shalt worship Him.'"
CHAP. LXIV.--JUSTIN ADDUCES OTHER PROOFS TO THE JEW, WHO DENIES THAT HE
NEEDS THIS CHRIST.
Here Trypho said, "Let Him be recognised as Lord and Christ and God, as
the Scriptures declare, by you of the Gentiles, who have from His name been
all called Christians; but we who are servants of God that made this
same[Christ], do not require to confess or worship Him."
To this I replied, "If I were to be quarrelsome and light-minded like
you, Trypho, I would no longer continue to converse with you, since you are
prepared not to understand what has been said, but only to return some
captious answer;(10) but now, since I fear the judgment of God, I do not
state an untimely opinion concerning any one of your nation, as to whether
or not some of them may be saved by the grace of the Lord of Sabaoth.
Therefore, although you act wrongfully, I shall continue to reply to any
proposition you shall bring forward, and to any contradiction which you
make; and, in fact, I do the very same to all men of every nation, who wish
to examine along with me, or make inquiry at me, regarding this subject.
Accordingly, if you had bestowed attention on the Scriptures previously
quoted by me, you would already have understood, that those who are saved
of your own nation are saved through this(11)[man], and partake of His lot;
and you would not certainly have asked me about this matter. I shall again
repeat the words of David previously quoted by me, and beg of you to
comprehend them, and not to act wrongfully, and stir each other up to give
merely some contradiction. The words which David speaks, then, are
these:'The Lord has reigned; let the nations be angry:[it is] He who sits
upon the cherubim; let the earth be shaken. The Lord is great in Zion; and
He is high above all the nations. Let them confess Thy great name, for it
is fearful and holy; and the honour of the king loves judgment. Thou hast
prepared equity; judgment and righteousness hast Thou performed in Jacob.
Exalt the Lord our God, and worship the footstool of His feet; for He is
holy. Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call
upon His name; they called on the Lord, and He heard them. In the pillar of
the cloud He spake to them; for they kept His testimonies and His
commandments which He gave them.'(12) And from the other words of David,
also previously quoted, which you foolishly affirm refer to
Solomon,[because] inscribed for Solomon, it can be proved that they do not
refer to Solomon, and that this[Christ] existed before the sun, and that
those of your nation who are saved shall be saved through Him.[The words]
are these:'O God, give Thy judgment to the king, and Thy righteousness unto
the king's son. He shall judge(1) Thy people with righteousness, and Thy
poor with judgment. The mountains shall take up peace to the people, and
the little hills righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, and
shall save the children of the needy, and shall abase the slanderer: and He
shall co-endure with the sun, and before the moon unto all generations;'and
so on until, 'His name endureth before the sun, and all tribes of the earth
shall be blessed in Him. All nations shall call Him blessed. Blessed be the
Lord, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things: and blessed be His
glorious name for ever and ever: and the whole earth shall be filled with
His glory. Amen, Amen.'(2) And you remember from other words also spoken by
David, and which I have mentioned before, how it is declared that He would
come forth from the highest heavens, and again return to the same places,
in order that you may recognise Him as God coming forth from above, and man
living among men; and[how it is declared] that He will again appear, and
they who pierced Him shall see Him, and shall bewail Him.[The words] are
these: 'The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His
handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth
knowledge: They are not speeches or words whose voices are heard. Their
sound has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of
the world. In the sun has he set his habitation; and he, like a bridegroom
going forth from his chamber, will rejoice as a giant to run his race: from
the highest heaven is his going forth, and he returns to the highest
heaven, and there is not one who shall be hidden from his heat.'"(3)
CHAP. LXV.--THE JEW OBJECTS THAT GOD DOES NOT GIVE HIS GLORY TO ANOTHER.
JUSTIN EXPLAINS THE PASSAGE.
And Trypho said, "Being shaken(4) by so many Scriptures, I know not
what to say about the Scripture which Isaiah writes, in which God says that
He gives not His glory to another, speaking thus 'I am the Lord God; this
is my name; my glory will I not give to another, nor my virtues.'"(5)
And I answered, "If you spoke these words, Trypho, and then kept
silence in simplicity and with no ill intent, neither repeating what goes
before nor adding what comes after, you must be forgiven; but if [you have
done so] because you imagined that you could throw doubt on the passage, in
order that I might say the Scriptures contradicted each other, you have
erred. But I shall not venture to suppose or to say such a thing; and if a
Scripture which appears to be of such a kind be brought forward, and if
there be a pretext[for saying] that it is contrary[to some other], since I
am entirely convinced that no Scripture contradicts another, I shall admit
rather that I do not understand what is recorded, and shall strive to
persuade those who imagine that the Scriptures are contradictory, to be
rather of the same opinion as myself. With what intent, then, you have
brought forward the difficulty, God knows. But I shall remind you of what
the passage says, in order that you may recognise even from this
very[place] that God gives glory to His Christ alone. And I shall take up
some short passages, sirs, those which are in connection with what has been
said by Trypho, and those which are also joined on in consecutive order.
For I will not repeat those of another section, but those which are joined
together in one. Do you also give me your attention.[The words] are
these:'Thus saith the Lord, the God that created the heavens, and made(6)
them fast, that established the earth, and that which is in it; and gave
breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them who walk therein: I the
Lord God have called Thee in righteousness, and will hold Thine hand, and
will strengthen Thee; and I have given Thee for a covenant of the people,
for a light of the Gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out
them that are bound from the chains, and those who sit in darkness from the
prison-house. I am the Lord God; this is my name: my glory will I not give
to another, nor my virtues to graven images. Behold, the former things are
come to pass; new things which I announce, and before they are announced
they are made manifest to you. Sing unto the Lord a new song: His
sovereignty[is] from the end of the earth.[Sing], ye who descend into the
sea, and continually sail(7)[on it]; ye islands, and inhabitants thereof.
Rejoice, O wilderness, and the villages thereof, and the houses; and the
inhabitants of Cedar shall rejoice, and the inhabitants of the rock shall
cry aloud from the top of the mountains: they shall give glory to God; they
shall publish His virtues among the islands. The Lord God of hosts shall go
forth, He shall destroy war utterly, He shall stir up zeal, and He shall
cry aloud to the enemies with strength.' " (1) And when I repeated this, I
said to them, "Have you perceived, my friends, that God says He will give
Him whom He has established as a light of the Gentiles, glory, and to no
other; and not, as Trypho said, that God was retaining the glory to
Himself?"
Then Trypho answered, "We have perceived this also; pass on therefore
to the remainder of the discourse."
CHAP. LXVI.--HE PROVES FROM ISAIAH THAT GOD WAS BORN FROM A VIRGIN.
And I, resuming the discourse where I had left off(2) at a previous
stage, when proving that He was born of a virgin, and that His birth of a
virgin had been predicted by Isaiah, quoted again the same prophecy. It is
as follows 'And the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, Ask for thyself a
sign from the Lord thy God, in the depth or in the height. And Ahaz said I
will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And Isaiah said, Hear then, O
house of David; Is it no small thing for you to contend with men? And how
do you contend with the Lord? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a
sign; Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a sod, and they
shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat; before he
knows or prefers the evil he will choose out the good. For before the child
knows ill or good, he rejects evil by choosing out the good. For before the
child knows how to call father or mother, he shall receive the power of
Damascus, and the spoil of Samaria, in presence of the king of Assyria. And
the land shall be forsaken, which(3) thou shalt with difficulty endure in
consequence of the presence of its two kings. But God shall bring on thee,
and on thy people, and on the house of thy father, days which have not yet
come upon thee since the day in which Ephraim took away from Judah the king
of Assyria.' "(4) And I continued: "Now it is evident to all, that in the
race of Abraham according to the flesh no one has been born of a virgin, or
is said to have been born[of a virgin], save this our Christ."
CHAP. LXVII.--TRYPHO COMPARES JESUS WITH PERSEUS; AND WOULD PREFER [TO SAY]
THAT HE WAS ELECTED[TO BE CHRIST] ON ACCOUNT OF OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW.
JUSTIN SPEAKS OF THE LAW AS FORMERLY.
And Trypho answered, "The Scripture has not, 'Behold, the virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son,' but, ' Behold, the young woman shall conceive,
and bear a son,' and so on, as you quoted. But the whole prophecy refers to
Hezekiah, and it is proved that it was fulfilled in him, according to the
terms of this prophecy. Moreover, in the fables of those who are called
Greeks, it is written that Perseus was begotten of Danae, who was a virgin;
he who was called among them Zeus having descended on her in the form of a
golden shower. And you ought to feel ashamed when you make assertions
similar to theirs, and rather[should] say that this Jesus was born man of
men. And if you prove from the Scriptures that He is the Christ, and that
on account of having led a life conformed to the law, and perfect, He
deserved the honour of being elected to be Christ,[it is well]; but do not
venture to tell monstrous phenomena, lest you be convicted of talking
foolishly like the Greeks."
Then I said to this, "Trypho, I wish to persuade you, and all men in
short, of this, that even though you talk worse things in ridicule and in
jest, you will not move me from my fixed design; but I shall always adduce
from the words which you think can be brought forward[by you] as proof[of
your own views], the demonstration of what I have stated along with the
testimony of the Scriptures. You are not, however, acting fairly or
truthfully in attempting to undo those things in which there has been
constantly agreement between us; namely, that certain commands were
instituted by Moses on account of the hardness of your people's hearts. For
you said that, by reason of His living conformably to law, He was elected
and became Christ, if indeed He were proved to be so."
And Trypho said, "You admitted(5) to us that He was both circumcised,
and observed the other legal ceremonies ordained by Moses."
And I replied, "I have admitted it, and do admit it: yet I have
admitted that He endured all these not as if He were justified by them, but
completing the dispensation which His Father, the Maker of all things, and
Lord and God, wished Him[to complete]. For I admit that He endured
crucifixion and death, and the incarnation, and the suffering of as many
afflictions as your nation put upon Him. But since again you dissent from
that to which you but lately assented, Trypho, answer me: Are those
righteous patriarchs who lived before Moses, who observed none of
those[ordinances] which, the Scripture shows, received the commencement
of[their] institution from Moses, saved,[and have they attained to] the
inheritance of the blessed?"
And Trypho said, "The Scriptures compel me to admit it."
"Likewise I again ask you," said I, "did God enjoin your fathers to
present the offerings and sacrifices because He had need of them, or
because of the hardness of their hearts and tendency to idolatry?"
"The latter," said he, "the Scriptures in like manner compel us to
admit."
"Likewise," said I, "did not the Scriptures predict that God promised
to dispense a new covenant besides that which[was dispensed] in the
mountain Horeb?"
This, too, he replied, had been predicted. Then I said again, "Was not the
old covenant laid on your fathers with fear and trembling,
so that they could not give ear to God?" He admitted it.
"What then?" said I: "God promised that there would be another
covenant, not like that old one, and said that it would be laid on them
without fear, and trembling, and lightnings, and that it would be such as
to show what kind of commands and deeds God knows to be eternal and suited
to every nation, and what commandments He has given, suiting them to the
hardness of your people's hearts, as He exclaims also by the prophets."
"To this also," said he, "those who are lovers of truth and not lovers
of strife must assuredly assent."
Then I replied, "I know not how you speak of persons very fond of
strife,[since] you yourself oftentimes were plainly acting in this very
manner, frequently contradicting what you had agreed to."
CHAP. LXVIII.--HE COMPLAINS OF THE OBSTINACY OF TRYPHO; HE ANSWERS HIS
OBJECTION; HE CONVICTS THE JEWS OF BAD FAITH.
And Trypho said, "You endeavour to prove an incredible and well-nigh
impossible thing;[namely], that God endured to be born and become man."
"If I undertook," said I, "to prove this by doctrines or arguments of
man, you should not bear with me. But if I quote frequently Scriptures, and
so many of them, referring to this point, and ask you to comprehend them,
you are hard-hearted in the recognition of the mind and will of God. But if
you wish to remain for ever so, I would not be injured at all; and for ever
retaining the same[opinions] which I had before I met with you, I shall
leave you."
And Trypho said," Look, my friend, you made yourself master of
these[truths] with much labour and toil.(1) And we accordingly must
diligently scrutinize all that we meet with, in order to give our assent to
those things which the Scriptures compel us[to believe]."
Then I said to this, "I do not ask you not to strive earnestly by all
means, in making an investigation of the matters inquired into; but[I ask
you], when you have nothing to say, not to contradict those things which
you said you had admitted."
And Trypho said, "So we shall endeavour to do."
I continued again: "In addition to the questions I have just now put to
you, I wish to put more: for by means of these questions I shall strive to
bring the discourse to a speedy termination."
And Trypho said, "Ask the questions."
Then I said, "Do you think that any other one is said to be worthy of
worship and called Lord and God in the Scriptures, except the Maker of
all, and Christ, who by so many Scriptures was proved to you to have become
man?"
And Trypho replied, "How can we admit this, when we have instituted so
great an inquiry as to whether there is any other than the Father alone?"
Then I again said, "I must ask you this also, that I may know whether
or not you are of a different opinion from that which you admitted some
time ago."(2)
He replied, "It is not, sir."
Then again I, "Since you certainly admit these things, and since
Scripture says, 'Who shall declare His generation?' ought you not now to
suppose that He is not the seed of a human race?"
And Trypho said, "How then does the Word say to David, that out of his
loins God shall take to Himself a Son, and shall establish His kingdom, and
shall set Him on the throne of His glory?"
And I said, "Trypho, if the prophecy which Isaiah uttered, "Behold, the
virgin shall conceive,' is said not to the house of David, but to another
house of the twelve tribes, perhaps the matter would have some difficulty;
but since this prophecy refers to the house of David, Isaiah has explained
how that which was spoken by God to David in mystery would take place. But
perhaps you are not aware of this, my friends, that there were many sayings
written obscurely, or parabolically, or mysteriously, and symbolical
actions, which the prophets who lived after the persons who said or did
them expounded."
"Assuredly," said Trypho.
"If therefore, I shall show that this prophecy of Isaiah refers to our
Christ, and not to Hezekiah, as you say, shall I not in this matter, too,
compel you not to believe your teachers, who venture to assert that the
explanation which your seventy elders that were with Ptolemy the king of
the Egyptians gave, is untrue in certain respects? For some statements in
the Scriptures, which appear explicitly to convict them of a foolish and
vain opinion, these they venture to assert have not been so written. But
other statements, which they fancy they can distort and harmonize with
human actions,(1) these, they say, refer not to this Jesus Christ of ours,
but to him of whom they are pleased to explain them. Thus, for instance,
they have taught you that this Scripture which we are now discussing refers
to Hezekiah, in which, as I promised, I shall show they are wrong. And
since they are compelled, they agree that some Scriptures which we mention
to them, and which expressly prove that Christ was to suffer, to be
worshipped, and[to be called] God, and which I have already recited to you,
do refer indeed to Christ, but they venture to assert that this man is not
Christ. But they admit that He will come to suffer, and to reign, and to be
worshipped, and to be God;(2) and this opinion I shall in like manner show
to be ridiculous and silly. But since I am pressed to answer first to what
was said by you in jest, I shall make answer to it, and shall afterwards
give replies to what follows.
CHAP. LXIX.--THE DEVIL, SINCE HE EMULATES THE TRUTH, HAS INVENTED FABLES
ABOUT BACCHUS, HERCULES, AND ĘSCULAPIUS.
"Be well assured, then, Trypho," I continued, "that I am established in
the knowledge of and faith in the Scriptures by those counterfeits which he
who is called the devil is said to have performed among the Greeks; just as
some were wrought by the Magi in Egypt, and others by the false prophets in
Elijah's days. For when they tell that Bacchus, son of Jupiter, was
begotten by[Jupiter's] intercourse with Semele, and that he was the
discoverer of the vine; and when they relate, that being torn in pieces,
and having died, he rose again, and ascended to heaven; and when they
introduce wine(3) into his mysteries, do I not perceive that[the devil] has
imitated the prophecy announced by the patriarch Jacob, and recorded by
Moses? And when they tell that Hercules was strong, and travelled over all
the world, and was begotten by Jove of Alcmene, and ascended to heaven when
he died, do I not perceive that the Scripture which speaks of Christ,
'strong as a giant to run his race,'(4) has been in like manner imitated?
And when he[the devil] brings forward Ęsculapius as the raiser of the dead
and healer of all diseases, may I not say that in this matter likewise he
has imitated the prophecies about Christ? But since I have not quoted to
you such Scripture as tells that Christ will do these things, I must
necessarily remind you of one such: from which you can understand, how that
to those destitute of a knowledge of God, I mean the Gentiles, who, 'having
eyes, saw not, and having a heart, understood not,' worshipping the images
of wood,[how even to them] Scripture prophesied that they would renounce
these[vanities], and hope in this Christ. It is thus written: 'Rejoice,
thirsty wilderness: let the wilderness be glad, and blossom as the lily:
the deserts of the Jordan shall both blossom and be glad: and the glory of
Lebanon was given to it, and the honour of Carmel. And my people shall see
the exaltation of the Lord, and the glory of God. Be strong, ye careless
hands and enfeebled knees. Be comforted, ye faint in soul: be strong, fear
not. Behold, our God gives, and will give, retributive judgment. He shall
come and save us. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears
of the deaf shall hear. Then the lame shall leap as an hart, and the tongue
of the stammerers shall be distinct: for water has broken forth in the
wilderness, and a valley in the thirsty land; and the parched ground shall
become pools, and a spring of water shall[rise up] in the thirsty land.'(5)
The spring of living water which gushed forth from God in the land
destitute of the knowledge of God, namely the land of the Gentiles, was
this Christ, who also appeared in your nation, and healed those who were
maimed, and deaf, and lame in body from their birth, causing them to leap,
to hear, and to see, by His word. And having raised the dead, and causing
them to live, by His deeds He compelled the men who lived at that time to
recognise Him. But though they saw such works, they asserted it was magical
art. For they dared to call Him a magician, and a deceiver of the people.
Yet He wrought such works, and persuaded those who were[destined to]
believe on Him; for even if any one be labouring under a defect of body,
yet be an observer of the doctrines delivered by Him, He shall raise him up
at His second advent perfectly sound, after He has made him immortal, and
incorruptible, and free from grief.
CHAP. LXX.--SO ALSO THE MYSTERIES OF MITHRAS ARE DISTORTED FROM THE
PROPHECIES OF DANIEL AND ISAIAH.
"And when those who record the mysteries of Mithras say that he was
begotten of a rock, and call the place where those who believe in him are
initiated a cave, do I not perceive here that the utterance of Daniel, that
a stone without hands was cut out of a great mountain, has been imitated by
them, and that they have attempted likewise to imitate the whole of
Isaiah's(1) words?(2) For they(3) contrived that the words of righteousness
be quoted also by them.(4) But I must repeat to you the words of Isaiah
referred to, in order that from them you may know that these things are so.
They are these: 'Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; those that
are near shall know my might. The sinners in Zion are removed; trembling
shall seize the impious. Who shall announce to you the everlasting place?
The man who walks in righteousness, speaks in the right way, hates sin and
unrighteousness, and keeps his hands pure from bribes, stops the ears from
hearing the unjust judgment of blood closes the eyes from seeing
unrighteousness: he shall dwell in the lofty cave of the strong rock. Bread
shall be given to him, and his water[shall be] sure. Ye shall see the King
with glory, and your eyes shall look far off. Your soul shall pursue
diligently the fear of the Lord. Where is the scribe? where are the
counsellors? where is he that numbers those who are nourished,--the small
and great people? with whom they did not take counsel, nor knew the depth
of the voices, so that they heard not. The people who are become
depreciated, and there is no understanding in him who hears.'(5) Now it is
evident, that in this prophecy[allusion is made] to the bread which our
Christ gave us to eat,(6) in remembrance of His being made flesh for the
sake of His believers, for whom also He suffered; and to the cup which He
gave us to drink,(6) in remembrance of His own blood, with giving of
thanks. And this prophecy proves that we shall behold this very King with
glory; and the very terms of the prophecy declare loudly, that the people
foreknown to believe in Him were fore-known to pursue diligently the fear
of the Lord. Moreover, these Scriptures are equally explicit in saying,
that those who are reputed to know the writings of the Scriptures, and who
hear the prophecies, have no understanding. And when I hear, Trypho," said
I, "that Perseus was begotten of a virgin, I understand that the deceiving
serpent counterfeited also this.
CHAP. LXXI.--THE JEWS REJECT THE INTERPRETATION OF THE LXX., FROM WHICH,
MOREOVER, THEY HAVE TAKEN AWAY SOME PASSAGES.
"But I am far from putting reliance in your teachers, who refuse to
admit that the interpretation made by the seventy elders who were with
Ptolemy[king] of the Egyptians is a correct one; and they attempt to frame
another. And I wish you to observe, that they have altogether taken away
many Scriptures from the translations effected by those seventy elders who
were with Ptolemy, and by which this very man who was crucified is proved
to have been set forth expressly as God, and man, and as being crucified,
and as dying; but since I am aware that this is denied by all of your
nation, I do not address myself to these points, but I proceed(7) to carry
on my discussions by means of those passages which are still admitted by
you. For you assent to those which I have brought before your attention,
except that you contradict the statement, 'Behold, the virgin shall
conceive,' and say it ought to be read, 'Behold, the young woman shall
conceive.' And I promised to prove that the prophecy referred, not, as you
were taught, to Hezekiah, but to this Christ of mine: and now I shall go to
the proof."
Here Trypho remarked, "We ask you first of all to tell us some of the
Scriptures which you allege have been completely cancelled."
CHAP. LXXII.--PASSAGES HAVE BEEN REMOVED BY THE JEWS FROM ESDRAS AND
JEREMIAH.
And I said, "I shall do as you please. From the statements, then, which
Esdras made in reference to the law of the passover, they have taken away
the following: 'And Esdras said to the people, This passover is our Saviour
and our refuge. And if you have understood, and your heart has taken it in,
that we shall humble Him on a standard, and(8) thereafter hope in Him, then
this place shall not be forsaken for ever, says the God of hosts. But if
you will not believe Him, and will not listen to His declaration, you shall
be a laughing-stock to the nations.'(9) And from the sayings of Jeremiah
they have cut out the following: 'I[was] like a lamb that is brought to the
slaughter: they devised a device against me, saying, Come, let us lay on
wood on His bread, and let us blot Him out from the land of the living; and
His name shall no more be remembered.'(10) And since this passage from the
sayings of Jeremiah is still written in some copies [of the Scriptures] in
the synagogues of the Jews(for it is only a short time since they were cut
out), and since from these words it is demonstrated that the Jews
deliberated about the Christ Himself, to crucify and put Him to death, He
Himself is both declared to be led as a sheep to the slaughter, as was
predicted by Isaiah, and is here represented as a harmless lamb; but being
in a difficulty about them, they give themselves over to blasphemy. And
again, from the sayings of the same Jeremiah these have been cut out: 'The
Lord God remembered His dead people of Israel who lay in the graves; and He
descended to preach to them His own salvation.'(1)
CHAP. LXXIII.--[THE WORDS] "FROM THE WOOD" HAVE BEEN CUT OUT OF PS. XCVI
"And from the ninety-fifth(ninety-sixth) Psalm they have taken away
this short saying of the words of David: 'From the wood.'(2) For when the
passage said, 'Tell ye among the nations, the Lord hath reigned from the
wood,' they have left, 'Tell ye among the nations, the Lord hath reigned.'
Now no one of your people has ever been said to have reigned as God and
Lord among the nations, with the exception of Him only who was crucified,
of whom also the Holy Spirit affirms in the same Psalm that He was raised
again, and freed from[the grave], declaring that there is none like Him
among the gods of the nations: for they are idols of demons. But I shall
repeat the whole Psalm to you, that you may perceive what has been said. It
is thus: 'Sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
Sing unto the Lord, and bless His name; show forth His salvation from day
to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all people.
For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above
all the gods. For all the gods of the nations are demons but the Lord made
the heavens. Confession and beauty are in His presence; holiness and
magnificence are in His sanctuary. Bring to the Lord, O ye countries of the
nations, bring to the Lord glory and honour, bring to the Lord glory in His
name. Take sacrifices, and go into His courts; worship the Lord in His holy
temple. Let the whole earth be moved before Him tell ye among the nations,
the Lord hath reigned.(3) For He hath established the world, which shall
not be moved; He shall judge the nations with equity. Let the heavens
rejoice, and the earth be glad; let the sea and its fulness shake. Let the
fields and all therein be joyful. Let all the trees of the wood be glad
before the Lord: for He comes, for He comes to judge the earth. He shall
judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth.' "
Here Trypho remarked, "Whether[or not] the rulers of the people have
erased any portion of the Scriptures, as you affirm, God knows; but it
seems incredible."
"Assuredly," said I, "it does seem incredible. For it is more horrible
than the calf which they made, when satisfied with manna on the earth; or
than the sacrifice of children to demons; or than the slaying of the
prophets. But," said I, "you appear to me not to have heard the Scriptures
which I said they had stolen away. For such as have been quoted are more
than enough to prove the points in dispute, besides those which are
retained by us,(4) and shall yet be brought forward."
CHAP. LXXIV.--THE BEGINNING OF PS. XCVI. IS ATTRIBUTED TO THE FATHER [BY
TRYPHO]. BUT[IT REFERS] TO CHRIST BY THESE WORDS: "TELL YE AMONG THE
NATIONS THAT THE LORD," ETC.
Then Trypho said, "We know that you quoted these because we asked you.
But it does not appear to me that this Psalm which you quoted last from the
words of David refers to any other than the Father and Maker of the heavens
and earth. You, however, asserted that it referred to Him who suffered,
whom you also are eagerly endeavouring to prove to be Christ."
And I answered, "Attend to me, I beseech you, while I speak of the
statement which the Holy Spirit gave utterance to in this Psalm; and you
shall know that I speak not sinfully, and that we(5) are not really
bewitched; for so you shall be enabled of yourselves to understand many
other statements made by the Holy Spirit. 'Sing unto the Lord a new song;
sing unto the Lord, all the earth: sing unto the Lord, and bless His name;
show forth His salvation from day to day, His wonderful works among all
people.' He bids the inhabitants of all the earth, who have known the
mystery of this salvation, i.e., the suffering of Christ, by which He saved
them, sing and give praises to God the Father of all things, and recognise
that He is to be praised and feared, and that He is the Maker of heaven and
earth, who effected this salvation in behalf of the human race, who also
was crucified and was dead, and who was deemed worthy by Him(God) to reign
over all the earth. As[is clearly seen(6)] also by the land into which[He
said] He would bring[your fathers];[for He thus speaks]:(1) 'This
people[shall go a whoring after other gods], and shall forsake Me, and
shall break my covenant which I made with them in that day; and I will
forsake them, and will turn away My face from them; and they shall be
devoured,(2) and many evils and afflictions shall find them out; and they
shall say in that day, Because the Lord my God is not amongst us, these
misfortunes have found us out. And I shall certainly turn away My face from
them in that day, on account of all the evils which they have committed, in
that they have turned to other gods.'(3)
CHAP. LXXV.--IT IS PROVED THAT JESUS WAS THE NAME OF GOD IN THE BOOK OF
EXODUS.
"Moreover, in the book of Exodus we have also perceived that the name
of God Himself which, He says, was not revealed to Abraham or to Jacob, was
Jesus, and was declared mysteriously through Moses. Thus it is written:
'And the Lord spake to Moses, Say to this people, Behold, I send My angel
before thy face, to keep thee in the way, to bring thee into the land which
I have prepared for thee. Give heed to Him, and obey Him; do not disobey
Him. For He will not draw back from you; for My name is in Him.'(4) Now
understand that He who led your fathers into the land is called by this
name Jesus, and first called Auses(5)(Oshea). For if you shall understand
this, you shall likewise perceive that the name of Him who said to Moses,
'for My name is in Him,' was Jesus. For, indeed, He was also called Israel,
and Jacob's name was changed to this also. Now Isaiah shows that those
prophets who are sent to publish tidings from God are called His angels and
apostles. For Isaiah says in a certain place, 'Send me.'(6) And that the
prophet whose name was changed, Jesus[Joshua], was strong and great, is
manifest to all. If, then, we know that God revealed Himself in so many
forms to Abraham, and to Jacob, and to Moses, how are we at a loss, and
do not believe that, according to the will of the Father of all things, it
was possible for Him to be born man of the Virgin, especially after we have
such(7) Scriptures, from which it can be plainly perceived that He became
so according to the will of the Father?
CHAP. LXXVI.--FROM OTHER PASSAGES THE SAME MAJESTY AND GOVERNMENT OF CHRIST
ARE PROVED.
"For when Daniel speaks of 'one like unto the Son of man' who received
the everlasting kingdom, does he not hint at this very thing? For he
declares that, in saying 'like unto the Son of man,' He appeared, and was
man, but not of human seed. And the same thing he proclaimed in mystery
when he speaks of this stone which was cut out without hands. For the
expression 'it was cut out without hands' signified that it is not a work
of man, but[a work] of the will of the Father and God of all things, who
brought Him forth. And when Isaiah says, 'Who shall declare His
generation?' he meant that His descent could not be declared. Now no one
who is a man of men has a descent that cannot be declared. And when Moses
says that He will wash His garments in the blood of the grape, does not
this signify what I have now often told you is an obscure prediction,
namely, that He had blood, but not from men; just as not man, but God, has
begotten the blood of the vine? And when Isaiah calls Him the Angel of
mighty l counsel,(8) did he not foretell Him to be the Teacher of those
truths which He did teach when He came[to earth]? For He alone taught
openly those mighty counsels which the Father designed both for all those
who have been and shall be well-pleasing to Him, and also for those who
have rebelled against His will, whether men or angels, when He said: 'They
shall come from the east[and from the west(9)], and shall sit down with
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the children
of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness.'(10) And, ' Many
shall say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not eaten, and drunk, and
prophesied, and cast out demons in Thy name? And I will say to them, Depart
from Me.'(11) Again, in other words, by which He shall condemn those who
are unworthy of salvation, He said, Depart into outer darkness, which the
Father has prepared for Satan and his, angels.'(12) And again, in other
words, He said, 'I give unto you power to tread on serpents, and on
scorpions, and on scolopendras, and on all the might of the enemy.'(13) And
now we, who believe on our Lord Jesus, who was crucified under Pontius
Pilate, when we exorcise all demons and evil spirits, have them subjected
to us. For if the prophets declared obscurely that Christ would suffer, and
thereafter be Lord of all, yet that[declaration] could not be understood by
any man until He Himself persuaded the apostles that such statements were
expressly related in the Scriptures. For He exclaimed before His
crucifixion: 'The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by
the Scribes and Pharisees, and be crucified, and on the third day rise
again.'(1) And David predicted that He would be born from the womb before
sun and moon,(2) according to the Father's will, and made Him known, being
Christ, as God strong and to be worshipped."
CHAP. LXXVII.--HE RETURNS TO EXPLAIN THE PROPHECY OF ISAIAH.
Then Trypho said, "I admit that such and so great arguments are
sufficient to persuade one; but I wish[you] to know that I ask you for the
proof which you have frequently proposed to give me. Proceed then to make
this plain to us, that we may see how you prove that that[passage] refers
to this Christ of yours. For we assert that the prophecy relates to
Hezekiah." And I replied, "I shall do as you wish. But show me yourselves
first of all how it is said of Hezekiah, that before he knew how to call
father or mother, he received the power of Damascus and the spoils of
Samaria in the presence of the king of Assyria. For it will not be conceded
to you, as you wish to explain it, that Hezekiah waged war with the
inhabitants of Damascus and Samaria in presence of the king of Assyria.
'For before the child knows how to call father or mother,' the prophetic
word said, 'He shall take the power of Damascus and spoils of Samaria in
presence of the king of Assyria.' For if the Spirit of prophecy had not
made the statement with an addition, 'Before the child knows how to call
father or mother, he shall take the power of Damascus and spoils of
Samaria,' but had only said, 'And shall bear a son, and he shall take the
power of Damascus and spoils of Samaria,' then you might say that God
foretold that he would take these things, since He fore-knew it. But now
the prophecy has stated it with this addition: 'Before the child knows how
to call father or mother, he shall take the power of Damascus and spoils of
Samaria.' And you cannot prove that such a thing ever happened to any one
among the Jews. But we are able to prove that it happened in the case of
our Christ. For at the time of His birth, Magi who came from Arabia
worshipped Him, coming first to Herod, who then was sovereign in your land,
and whom the Scripture calls king of Assyria on account of his ungodly and
sinful character. For you know," continued I, "that the Holy Spirit
oftentimes announces such events by parables and similitudes; just as He
did towards all the people in Jerusalem, frequently saying to them, 'Thy
father is an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite.(3)
CHAP. LXXVIII.--HE PROVES THAT THIS PROPHECY HARMONIZES WITH CHRIST ALONE,
FROM WHAT IS AFTERWARDS WRITTEN.
"Now this king Herod, at the time when the Magi came to him from
Arabia, and said they knew from a star which appeared in the heavens that a
King had been born in your country, and that they had come to worship Him,
learned from the elders of your people that it was thus written regarding
Bethlehem in the prophet: 'And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art
by no means least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall go
forth the leader who shall feed my people.'(4) Accordingly the Magi from
Arabia came to Bethlehem and worshipped the Child, and presented Him with
gifts, gold and frankincense, and myrrh; but returned not to Herod, being
warned in a revelation after worshipping the Child in Bethlehem. And
Joseph, the spouse of Mary, who wished at first to put away his betrothed
Mary, supposing her to be pregnant by intercourse with a man, i.e., from
fornication, was commanded in a vision not to put away his wife; and the
angel who appeared to him told him that what is in her womb is of the Holy
Ghost. Then he was afraid, and did not put her away; but on the occasion of
the first census which was taken in Judęa, under Cyrenius, he went up from
Nazareth, where he lived, to Bethlehem, to which he belonged, to be
enrolled; for his family was of the tribe of Judah, which then inhabited
that region. Then along with Mary he is ordered to proceed into Egypt, and
remain there with the Child until another revelation warn them to return
into Judęa. But when the Child was born in Bethlehem, since Joseph could
not find a lodging in that village, he took up his quarters in a certain
cave near the village; and while they were there Mary brought forth the
Christ and placed Him in a manger, and here the Magi who came from Arabia
found Him. I have repeated to you," I continued, "what Isaiah foretold
about the sign which foreshadowed the cave; but for the sake of those who
have come with us to-day, I shall again remind you of the passage." Then I
repeated the passage from Isaiah which I have already written, adding that,
by means of those words, those who presided over the mysteries of Mithras
were stirred up by the devil to say that in a place, called among them a
cave, they were initiated by him.(5) "So Herod, when the Magi from Arabia
did not return to him, as he had asked them to do, but had departed by
another way to their own country, according to the commands laid on them;
and when Joseph, with Mary and the Child, had now gone into Egypt, as it
was revealed to them to do; as he did not know the Child whom the Magi had
gone to worship, ordered simply the whole of the children then in Bethlehem
to be massacred. And Jeremiah prophesied that this would happen, speaking
by the Holy Ghost thus: 'A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and much
wailing, Rachel weeping for her children; and she would not be comforted,
because they are not.'(1) Therefore, on account of the voice which would be
heard from Ramah, i.e., from Arabia(for there is in Arabia at this very
time a place called Rama), wailing would come on the place where Rachel the
wife of Jacob called lsrael, the holy patriarch, has been buried, i.e., on
Bethlehem; while the women weep for their own slaughtered children, and
have no consolation by reason of what has happened to them. For that
expression of Isaiah 'He shall take the power of Damascus and spoils of
Samaria,' foretold that the power of the evil demon that dwelt in Damascus
should be overcome by Christ as soon as He was born; and this is proved to
have happened. For the Magi, who were held in bondage(2) for the commission
of all evil deeds through the power of that demon, by coming to worship
Christ, shows that they have revolted from that dominion which held them
captive; and this[dominion] the Scripture has showed us to reside in
Damascus. Moreover, that sinful and unjust power is termed well in parable,
Samaria.(3) And none of you can deny that Damascus was, and is, in the
region of Arabia, although now it belongs to what is called Syrophoenicia.
Hence it would be becoming for you, sirs, to learn what you have not
perceived, from those who have received grace from God, namely, from us
Christians; and not to strive in every way to maintain your own doctrines,
dishonouring those of God. Therefore also this grace has been transferred
to us, as Isaiah says, speaking to the following effect: 'This people draws
near to Me, they honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me;
but in vain they worship Me, teaching the commands and doctrines of men.
Therefore, behold, I will proceed(4) to remove this people, and I shall
remove them; and I shall take away the wisdom of their wise men, and bring
to nothing the understanding of the prudent men.' "(5)
CHAP. LXXIX.--HE PROVES AGAINST TRYPHO THAT THE WICKED ANGELS HAVE REVOLTED
FROM GOD.
On this, Trypho, who was somewhat angry, but respected the Scriptures,
as was manifest from his countenance, said to me, "The utterances of God
are holy, but your expositions are mere contrivances, as is plain from what
has been explained by you; nay, even blasphemies, for you assert that
angels sinned and revolted from God."
And I, wishing to get him to listen to me, answered in milder tones,
thus: "I admire, sir, this piety of yours; and I pray that you may
entertain the same disposition towards Him to whom angels are recorded to
minister, as Daniel says; for[one] like the Son of man is led to the
Ancient of days, and every kingdom is given to Him for ever and ever. But
that you may know, sir," continued I, "that it is not our audacity which
has induced us to adopt this exposition, which you reprehend, I shall give
you evidence from Isaiah himself; for he affirms that evil angels have
dwelt and do dwell in Tanis, in Egypt. These are[his] words: 'Woe to the
rebellious children! Thus saith the Lord, You have taken counsel, but not
through Me; and[made] agreements, but not through My Spirit, to add sins to
sins; who have sinned(6) in going down to Egypt(but they have not inquired
at Me), that they may be assisted by Pharaoh, and be covered with the
shadow of the Egyptians. For the shadow of Pharaoh shall be a disgrace to
you, and a reproach to those who trust in the Egyptians; for the princes in
Tanis(7) are evil angels. In vain will they labour for a people which will
not profit them by assistance, but[will be] for a disgrace and a
reproach[to them].'(8) And, further, Zechariah tells, as you yourself have
related, that the devil stood on the right hand of Joshua the priest, to
resist him; and[the Lord] said, 'The Lord, who has taken(9) Jerusalem,
rebuke thee.'(10) And again, it is written in Job,(11) as you said
yourself, how that the angels came to stand before the Lord, and the devil
came with them. And we have it recorded by Moses in the beginning of
Genesis, that the serpent beguiled Eve, and was cursed. And we know that in
Egypt there were magicians who emulated(12) the mighty power displayed by
God through the faithful servant Moses. And you are aware that David said,
'The gods of the nations are demons.' "(13)
CHAP. LXXX.--THE OPINION OF JUSTIN WITH REGARD TO THE REIGN OF A THOUSAND
YEARS. SEVERAL CATHOLICS REJECT IT.
And Trypho to this replied, "I remarked to you sir, that you are very
anxious to be safe in all respects, since you cling to the Scriptures. But
tell me, do you really admit that this place, Jerusalem, shall be rebuilt;
and do you expect your people to be gathered together, and made joyful with
Christ and the patriarchs, and the prophets, both the men of our nation,
and other proselytes who joined them before your Christ came? or have you
given way, and admitted this in order to have the appearance of worsting us
in the controversies?"
Then I answered, "I am not so miserable a fellow, Trypho, as to say one
thing and think another. I admitted to you formerly,(1) that I and many
others are of this opinion, and[believe] that such will take place, as you
assuredly are aware;(2) but, on the other hand, I signified to you that
many who belong to the pure and pious faith, and are true Christians, think
otherwise. Moreover, I pointed out to you that some who are called
Christians, but are godless, impious heretics, teach doctrines that are in
every way blasphemous, atheistical, and foolish. But that you may know that
I do not say this before you alone, I shall draw up a statement, so far as
I can, of all the arguments which have passed between us; in which I shall
record myself as admitting the very same things which I admit to you.(3)
For I choose to follow not men or men's doctrines, but God and the
doctrines[delivered] by Him. For if you have fallen in with some who are
called Christians, but who do not admit this[truth],(4) and venture to
blaspheme the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;
who say there is no resurrection of the dead, and that their souls, when
they die, are taken to heaven; do not imagine that they are Christians,
even as one, if he would rightly consider it, would not admit that the
Sadducees, or similar sects of Genistę, Meristae,(5)Gelilaeans,
Hellenists,(6) Pharisees, Baptists, are Jews(do not hear me impatiently
when I tell you what I think), but are[only] called Jews and children of
Abraham, worshipping God with the lips, as God Himself declared, but the
heart was far from Him. But I and others, who are fight-minded Christians
on all points, are assured that there will be a resurrection of the dead,
and a thousand years(7) in Jerusalem, which will then be built, adorned,
and enlarged,[as] the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah and others declare.
CHAP. LXXXI.--HE ENDEAVOURS TO PROVE THIS OPINION FROM ISAIAH AND THE
APOCALYPSE.
"For Isaiah spake thus concerning this space of a thousand years: 'For
there shall be the new heaven and the new earth, and the former shall not
be remembered, or come into their heart; but they shall find joy and
gladness in it, which things I create. For, Behold, I make Jerusalem a
rejoicing, and My people a joy; and I shall rejoice over Jerusalem, and be
glad over My I people. And the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in
her, or the voice of crying. And there shall be no more there a person of
immature years, or an old man who shall not fulfil his days.(8) For the
young man shall be an hundred years old;(9) but the sinner who dies an
hundred years old,(9) he shall be accursed. And they shall build houses,
and shall themselves inhabit them; and they shall plant vines, and shall
themselves eat the produce of them, and drink the wine. They shall not
build, and others inhabit; they shall not plant, and others eat. For
according to the days of the tree of life shall be the days of my people;
the works of their toil shall abound.(10) Mine elect shall not toil
fruitlessly, or beget children to be cursed; for they shall be a seed
righteous and blessed by the Lord, and their offspring with them. And it
shall come to pass, that before they call I will hear; while they are still
speaking, I shall say, What is it? Then shall the wolves and the lambs feed
together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent[shall
eat] earth as bread. They shall not hurt or maltreat each other on the holy
mountain, saith the Lord.'(11) Now we have understood that the expression
used among these words, 'According to the days of the tree[of life(12)]
shall be the days of my people; the works of their toil shall abound'
obscurely predicts a thousand years.
For as Adam was told that in the nay fie ate of the tree he would die,
we know that he did not complete a thousand years. We have perceived,
moreover, that the expression, 'The day of the Lord is as a thousand
years,'(1) is connected with this subject. And further, there was a certain
man with us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, who
prophesied, by a revelation that was made to him, that those who believed
in our Christ would dwell(2) a thousand years in Jerusalem; and that
thereafter the general, and, in short, the eternal resurrection and
judgment of all men would likewise take place. Just as our Lord also said,
'They shall neither marry nor be given in marriage, but shall be equal to
the angels, the children of the God of the resurrection.'(3)
CHAP. LXXXII.--THE PROPHETICAL GIFTS OF THE JEWS WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE
CHRISTIANS.
"For the prophetical gifts remain with us, even to the present time.
And hence you ought to understand that[the gifts] formerly among your
nation have been transferred to us. And just as there were false prophets
contemporaneous with your holy prophets, so are there now many false
teachers amongst us, of whom our Lord forewarned us to beware; so that in
no respect are we deficient, since we know that He foreknew all that would
happen to us after His resurrection from the dead and ascension to heaven.
For He said we would be put to death, and hated for His name's sake; and
that many false prophets and false Christs would appear in His name, and
deceive many: and so has it come about. For many have taught godless,
blasphemous, and unholy doctrines, forging them in His name; have taught,
too, and even yet are teaching, those things which proceed from the unclean
spirit of the devil, and which were put into their hearts. Therefore we are
most anxious that you be persuaded not to be misled by such persons, since
we know that every one who can speak the truth, and yet speaks it not,
shall be judged by God, as God testified by Ezekiel, when He said, 'I have
made thee a watchman to the house of Judah. If the sinner sin, and thou
warn him not, he himself shall die in his sin; but his blood will I require
at thine hand. But if thou warn him, thou shalt be innocent.'(4) And on
this account we are, through fear, very earnest in desiring to
converse[with men] according to the Scriptures, but not from love of money,
or of glory, or of pleasure. For no man can convict us of any of
these[vices]. No more do we wish to live like the rulers of your people,
whom God reproaches when He says, 'Your rulers are companions of thieves,
lovers of bribes, followers of the rewards.'(5) Now, if you know certain
amongst us to be of this sort, do not for their sakes blaspheme the
Scriptures and Christ, and do not assiduously strive to give falsified
interpretations.
CHAP. LXXXIII.--IT IS PROVED THAT THE PSALM, "THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,"
ETC., DOES NOT SUIT HEZEKIAH.
"For your teachers have ventured to refer the passage, 'The Lord says
to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool,'
to Hezekiah; as if he were requested to sit on the right side of the
temple, when the king of Assyria sent to him and threatened him; and he was
told by Isaiah not to be afraid. Now we know and admit that what Isaiah
said took place; that the king of Assyria desisted from waging war against
Jerusalem in Hezekiah's days, and the angel of the Lord slew about 185,000
of the host of the Assyrians. But it is manifest that the Psalm does not
refer to him. For thus it is written, 'The Lord says to my Lord, Sit at My
right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. He shall send forth a
rod of power over(6) Jerusalem, and it shall rule in the midst of Thine(7)
enemies. In the splendour of the saints before the morning star have I
begotten Thee. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest
for ever after the order of Melchizedek.' Who does not admit, then, that
Hezekiah is no priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek? And who does
not know that he is not the redeemer of Jerusalem? And who does not know
that he neither sent a rod of power into Jerusalem, nor ruled in the midst
of his enemies; but that it was God who averted from him the enemies, after
he mourned and was afflicted? But our Jesus, who has not yet come in glory,
has sent into Jerusalem a rod of power, namely, the word of calling and
repentance[meant] for all nations over which demons held sway, as David
says, 'The gods of the nations are demons.' And His strong word has
prevailed on many to forsake the demons whom they used to serve, and by
means of it to believe in the Almighty God because the gods of the nations
are demons.(8) And we mentioned formerly that the statement, 'In the
splendour of the saints before the morning star have I begotten Thee from
the womb,' is made to Christ.
CHAP.LXXXIV.--THAT PROPHECY, "BEHOLD, A VIRGIN," ETC., SUITS CHRIST ALONE.
"Moreover, the prophecy, 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a
son,' was uttered respecting Him. For if He to whom Isaiah referred was not
to be begotten of a virgin, of whom(1) did the Holy Spirit declare,
'Behold, the Lord Himself shall give us a sign: behold, the virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son?' For if He also were to be begotten of sexual
intercourse, like all other first-born sons, why did God say that He would
give a sign which is not common to all the first-born sons? But that which
is truly a sign, and which was to be made trustworthy to mankind,--namely,
that the first-begotten of all creation should become incarnate by the
Virgin's womb, and be a child,--this he anticipated by the Spirit of
prophecy, and predicted it, as I have repeated to you, in various ways; in
order that, when the event should take place, it might be known as the
operation of the power and will of the Maker of all things; just as Eve was
made from one of Adam's ribs, and as all living beings were created in the
beginning by the word of God. But you in these matters venture to pervert
the expositions which your elders that were with Ptolemy king of Egypt gave
forth, since you assert that the Scripture is not so as they have expounded
it, but says, 'Behold, the young woman shall conceive,' as if great events
were to be inferred if a woman should beget from sexual intercourse: which
indeed all young women, with the exception of the barren, do; but even
these, God, if He wills, is able to cause[to bear]. For Samuel's mother,
who was barren, brought forth by l the will of God; and so also the wife of
the holy patriarch Abraham; and Elisabeth, who bore John the Baptist, and
other such. So that you must not suppose that it is impossible for God to
do anything He wills. And especially when it was predicted that this would
take place, do not venture to pervert or misinterpret the prophecies, since
you will injure yourselves alone, and will not harm God.
CHAP. LXXXV.--HE PROVES THAT CHRIST IS THE LORD OF HOSTS FROM PS. XXIV.,
AND FROM HIS AUTHORITY OVER DEMONS.
"Moreover, some of you venture to expound the prophecy which runs,
'Lift up your gates, ye rulers; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors,
that the King of glory may enter,'(2) as if it referred likewise to
Hezekiah, and others of you[expound it] of Solomon; but neither to the
latter nor to the former, nor, in short, to any of your kings, can it be
proved to have reference, but to this our Christ alone, who appeared
without comeliness, and inglorious, as Isaiah and David and all the
Scriptures said; who is the Lord of hosts, by the will of the Father who
conferred on Him[the dignity]; who also rose from the dead, and ascended to
heaven, as the Psalm and the other Scriptures manifested when they
announced Him to be Lord of hosts; and of this you may, if you will, easily
be persuaded by the occurrences which take place before your eyes. For
every demon, when exorcised in the name of this very Son of God--who is
the First-born of every creature, who became man by the Virgin, who
suffered, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate by your nation, who died,
who rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven--is overcome and subdued.
But though you exorcise any demon in the name of any of those who were
amongst you--either kings, or righteous men, or prophets, or patriarchs--it
will not be subject to you. But if any of you exorcise it in[the name of]
the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, it will
perhaps be subject to you. Now assuredly your exorcists, I have said,(3)
make use of craft when they exorcise, even as the Gentiles do, and employ
fumigations and incantations.(4) But that they are angels and powers whom
the word of prophecy by David[commands] to lift up the gates, that He who
rose from the dead, Jesus Christ, the Lord of hosts, according to the will
of the Father, might enter, the word of David has likewise showed; which I
shall again recall to your attention for the sake of those who were not
with us yesterday, for whose benefit, moreover, I sum up many things I said
yesterday. And now, if I say this to you, although I have repeated it many
times, I know that it is not absurd so to do. For it is a ridiculous thing
to see the sun, and the moon, and the other stars, continually keeping the
same course, and bringing round the different seasons; and to see the
computer who may be asked how many are twice two, because he has frequently
said that they are four, not ceasing to say again that they late four; and
equally so other things, which are confidently admitted, to be continually
mentioned and admitted in like manner; yet that he who founds his discourse
on the prophetic Scriptures should leave them and abstain from constantly
referring to the same Scriptures, because it is thought he can bring forth
something better than Scripture. The passage, then, by which I proved that
God reveals that there are both angels and hosts in heaven is this: 'Praise
the Lord from the heavens: praise Him in the highest. Praise Him, all His
angels: praise Him, all His hosts.' "(1)
Then one of those who had come with them on the second day, whose name
was Mnaseas, said, "We are greatly pleased that you undertake to repeat the
same things on our account."
And I said, "Listen, my friends, to the Scripture which induces me to
act thus. Jesus commanded[us] to love even[our] enemies, as was predicted
by Isaiah in many passages, in which also is contained the mystery of our
own regeneration, as well, in fact, as the regeneration of all who expect
that Christ will appear in Jerusalem, and by their works endeavour
earnestly to please Him. These are the words spoken by Isaiah: 'Hear the
word of the Lord, ye that tremble at His word. Say, our brethren, to them
that hate you and detest you, that the name of the Lord has been glorified.
He has appeared to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. A voice of noise
from the city, a voice from the temple,(2) a voice of the Lord who
rendereth recompense to the proud. Before she that travailed brought forth,
and before the pains of labour came, she brought forth a male child. Who
hath heard such a thing? and who hath seen such a thing? has the earth
brought forth in one day? and has she produced a nation at once? for Zion
has travailed and borne her children. But I haye given such an expectation
even to her that does not bring forth, said the Lord. Behold, I have made
her that begetteth, and her that is barren, saith the Lord. Rejoice, O
Jerusalem, and hold a joyous assembly, all ye that love her. Be glad, all
ye that mourn for her, that ye may suck and be filled with the breast of
her consolation, that having suck ye may be delighted with the entrance of
His glory.' "(3)
CHAP. LXXXVI.--THERE ARE VARIOUS FIGURES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT OF THE WOOD
OF THE CROSS BY WHICH CHRIST REIGNED.
And when I had quoted this, I added, "Hear, then, how this Man, of whom
the Scriptures declare that He will come again in glory after His
crucifixion, was symbolized both by the tree of life, which was said to
have been planted in paradise, and by those events which should happen to
all the just. Moses was sent with a rod to effect the redemption of the
people; and with this in his hands at the head of the people, he divided
the sea. By this he saw the water gushing out of the rock; and when he cast
a tree into the waters of Marah, which were bitter, he made them sweet.
Jacob, by putting rods into the water-troughs, caused the sheep of his
uncle to conceive, so that he should obtain their young. With his rod the
same Jacob boasts that he had crossed the river. He said he had seen a
ladder, and the Scripture has declared that God stood above it. But that
this was not the Father, we have proved from the Scriptures. And Jacob,
having poured oil on a stone in the same place, is testified to by the very
God who appeared to him, that he had anointed a pillar to the God who
appeared to him. And that the stone symbolically proclaimed Christ, we have
also proved by many Scriptures; and that the unguent, whether it was of
oil, or of stacte,(4) or of any other compounded sweet balsams, had
reference to Him, we have also proved,(5) inasmuch as the word says:
'Therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness
above Thy fellows.'(6) For indeed all kings and anointed persons obtained
from Him their share in the names of kings and anointed: just as He Himself
received from the Father the titles of King, and Christ, and Priest, and
Angel, and such like other titles which He bears or did bear. Aaron's rod,
which blossomed, declared him to be the high priest. Isaiah prophesied that
a rod would come forth from the root of Jesse,[and this was] Christ. And
David says that the righteous man is 'like the tree that is planted by the
channels of waters, which should yield its fruit in its season, and whose
leaf should not fade.'(7) Again, the righteous is said to flourish like the
palm-tree. God appeared from a tree to Abraham, as it is written, near the
oak in Mature. The people found seventy willows and twelve springs after
crossing the Jordan.(8) David affirms that God comforted him with a rod and
staff. Elisha, by casting a stick(9) into the river Jordan, recovered the
iron part of the axe with which the sons of the prophets had gone to cut
down trees to build the house in which they wished to read and study the
law and commandments of God; even as our Christ, by being crucified on the
tree, and by purifying[us] with water, has redeemed us, though plunged in
the direst offences which we have committed, and has made[us] a house of
prayer and adoration. Moreover, it was a rod that pointed out Judah to be
the father of Tamar's sons by a great mystery."
CHAP. LXXXVII.--TRYPHO MAINTAINS IN OBJECTION THESE WORDS: "AND SHALL REST
ON HIM," ETC. THEY ARE EXPLAINED BY JUSTIN.
Hereupon Trypho, after I had spoken these words, said, "Do not now
suppose that I am endeavouring, by asking what I do ask, to overturn the
statements you have made; but I wish to receive information respecting
those very points about which I now inquire. Tell me, then, how, when the
Scripture asserts by Isaiah, 'There shall come forth a rod from the root of
Jesse; and a flower shall grow up from the root of Jesse; and the Spirit of
God shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit
of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and piety: and the spirit of
the fear of the Lord shall fill Him:'(1) (now you admitted to me,"
continued he, "that this referred to Christ, and you maintain Him to be
pre-existent God, and having become incarnate by God's will, to be born man
by the Virgin:) how He can be demonstrated to have been pre-existent, who
is filled with the powers of the Holy Ghost, which the Scripture by Isaiah
enumerates, as if He were in lack of them?"
Then I replied, "You have inquired most discreetly and most prudently,
for truly there does seem to be a difficulty; but listen to what I say,
that you may perceive the reason of this also. The Scripture says that
these enumerated powers of the Spirit have come on Him, not because He
stood in need of them, but because they would rest in Him, i.e., would find
their accomplishment in Him, so that there would be no more prophets in
your nation after the ancient custom: and this fact you plainly perceive.
For after Him no prophet has arisen among you. Now, that [you may know
that] your prophets, each receiving some one or two powers from God, did
and spoke the things which we have learned from the Scriptures, attend to
the following remarks of mine. Solomon possessed the spirit of wisdom,
Daniel that of understanding and counsel, Moses that of might and piety,
Elijah that of fear, and Isaiah that of knowledge; and so with the others:
each possessed one power, or one joined alternately with another; also
Jeremiah, and the twelve [prophets], and David, and, in short, the rest who
existed amongst you. Accordingly He(2) rested, i.e., ceased, when He came,
after whom, in the times of this dispensation wrought out by Him amongst
men,(3) it was requisite that such gifts should cease from you; and having
received their rest in Him, should again, as had been predicted, become
gifts which, from the grace of His Spirit's power, He imparts to those who
believe in Him, according as He deems each man worthy thereof. I have
already said, and do again say, that it had been prophesied that this would
be done by Him after His ascension to heaven. It is accordingly said,(4)
'He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, He gave gifts unto the sons
of men.' And again, in another prophecy it is said: 'And it shall come to
pass after this, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and on My
servants, and on My handmaids, and they shall prophesy.'(5)
CHAP. LXXXVIII.--CHRIST HAS NOT RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT ON ACCOUNT OF
POVERTY.
"Now, it is possible to see amongst us women and men who possess gifts
of the Spirit of God; so that it was prophesied that the powers enumerated
by Isaiah would come upon Him, not because He needed power, but because
these would not continue after Him. And let this be a proof to you, namely,
what I told you was done by the Magi from Arabia, who as soon as the Child
was born came to worship Him, for even at His birth He was in possession of
His power; and as He grew up like all other men, by using the fitting
means, He assigned its own [requirements] to each development, and was
sustained by all kinds of nourishment, and waited for thirty years, more or
less, until John appeared before Him as the herald of His approach, and
preceded Him in the way of baptism, as I have already shown. And then, when
Jesus had gone to the river Jordan, where John was baptizing, and when He
had stepped into the water, a fire(6) was kindled in the Jordan; and when
He came out of the water, the Holy Ghost lighted on Him like a dove, [as]
the apostles of this very Christ of ours wrote. Now, we know that he did
not go to the river because He stood in need of baptism, or of the descent
of the Spirit like a dove; even as He submitted to be born and to be
crucified, not because He needed such things, but because of the human
race, which from Adam had fallen under the power of death and the guile of
the serpent, and each one of which had committed personal transgression.
For God, wishing both angels and men, who were endowed with freewill, and
at their own disposal, to do whatever He had strengthened each to do, made
them so, that if they chose the things acceptable to Himself, He would keep
them free from death and from punishment; but that if they did evil, He
would punish each as He sees fit. For it was not His entrance into
Jerusalem sitting on an ass, which we have showed was prophesied, that
empowered Him to be Christ, but it furnished men with a proof that He is
the Christ; just as it was necessary in the time of John that men have
proof, that they might know who is Christ. For when John remained(1) by the
Jordan, and preached the baptism of repentance, wearing only a leathern
girdle and a vesture made of camels' hair, eating nothing but locusts and
wild honey, men supposed him to be Christ; but he cried to them, 'I am not
the Christ, but the voice of one crying; for He that is stronger than I
shall come, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear.'(2) And when Jesus came to
the Jordan, He was considered to be the son of Joseph the carpenter; and He
appeared without comeliness, as the Scriptures declared; and He was deemed
a carpenter (for He was in the habit of working as a carpenter when among
men, making ploughs and yokes; by which He taught the symbols of
righteousness and an active life); but then the Holy Ghost, and for man's
sake, as I formerly stated, lighted on Him in the form of a dove, and there
came at the same instant from the heavens a voice, which was uttered also
by David when he spoke, personating Christ, what the Father would say to
Him: 'Thou art My Son: this day have I begotten Thee;'(3) [the Father]
saying that His generation would take place for men, at the time when they
would become acquainted with Him: 'Thou art My Son; this day have I
begotten thee.' "(4)
CHAP. LXXXIX.-- THE CROSS ALONE IS OFFENSIVE TO TRYPHO ON ACCOUNT OF THE
CURSE, YET IT PROVES THAT JESUS IS CHRIST.
Then Trypho remarked, "Be assured that all our nation waits for Christ;
and we admit that all the Scriptures which you have quoted refer to Him.
Moreover, I do also admit that the name of Jesus, by which the the son of
Nave (Nun) was called, has inclined me very strongly to adopt this view.
But whether Christ should be so shamefully crucified, this we are in doubt
about. For whosoever is crucified is said in the law to be accursed, so
that I am exceedingly incredulous on this point. It is quite clear, indeed,
that the Scriptures announce that Christ had to suffer; but we wish to
learn if you can prove it to us whether it was by the suffering cursed in
the law."
I replied to him, "If Christ was not to suffer, and the prophets had
not foretold that He would be led to death on account of the sins of the
people, and be dishonoured and scourged, and reckoned among the
transgressors, and as a sheep be led to the slaughter, whose generation,
the prophet says, no man can declare, then you would have good cause to
wonder. But if these are to be characteristic of Him and mark Him out to
all, how is it possible for us to do anything else than believe in Him most
confidently? And will not as many as have understood the writings of the
prophets, whenever they hear merely that He was crucified, say that this is
He and no other?"
CHAP. XC.--THE STRETCHED-OUT HANDS OF MOSES SIGNIFIED BEFOREHAND THE CROSS.
"Bring us on, then," said [Trypho], "by the Scriptures, that we may
also be persuaded by you; for we know that He should suffer and be led as a
sheep. But prove to us whether He must be crucified and die so
disgracefully and so dishonourably by the death cursed in the law.(5) For
we cannot bring ourselves even to think of this."
"You know," said I, "that what the prophets said and did they veiled by
parables and types, as you admitted to us; so that it was not easy for all
to understand the most [of what they said], since they concealed the truth
by these means, that those who are eager to find out and learn it might do
so with much labour."
They answered, "We admitted this."
"Listen, therefore," say I, "to what follows; for Moses first exhibited
this seeming curse of Christ's by the signs which he made."
"Of what [signs] do you speak?" said he.
"When the people," replied I, "waged war with Amalek, and the son of
Nave (Nun) by name Jesus (Joshua), led the fight, Moses himself prayed to
God, stretching out both hands, and Hur with Aaron supported them during
the whole day, so that they might not hang down when he got wearied. For if
he gave up any part of this sign, which was an imitation of the cross, the
people were beaten, as is recorded in the writings of Moses; but if he
remained in this form, Amalek was proportionally defeated, and he who
prevailed prevailed by the cross. For it was not because Moses so prayed
that the people were stronger, but because, while one who bore the name of
Jesus (Joshua) was in the forefront of the battle, he himself made the sign
of the cross. For who of you knows not that the prayer of one who
accompanies it with lamentation and tears, with the body prostrate, or with
bended knees, propitiates God most of all? But in such a manner neither he
nor any other one, while sitting on a stone, prayed. Nor even the stone
symbolized Christ, as I have shown.
CHAP. XCI.--THE CROSS WAS FORETOLD IN THE BLESSINGS OF JOSEPH, AND IN THE
SERPENT THAT WAS LIFTED UP..
"And God by Moses shows in another way the force of the mystery of the
cross, when He said in the blessing wherewith Joseph was blessed, 'From
the blessing of the Lord is his land; for the seasons of heaven, and for
the dews, and for the deep springs from beneath, and for the seasonable
fruits of the sun,(1) and for the coming together of the months, and for
the heights of the everlasting mountains, and for the heights of the hills,
and for the ever-flowing rivers, and for the fruits of the fatness of the
earth; and let the things accepted by Him who appeared in the bush come on
the head and crown of Joseph. Let him be glorified among his brethren;(2)
his beauty is [like] the firstling of a bullock; his horns the horns of an
unicorn: with these shall he push the nations from one end of the earth to
another.'(3) Now, no one could say or prove that the horns of an unicorn
represent any other fact or figure than the type which portrays the cross.
For the one beam is placed upright, from which the highest extremity is
raised up into a horn, when the other beam is fitted on to it, and the ends
appear on both sides as horns joined on to the one horn. And the part
which is fixed in the centre, on which are suspended those who are
crucified, also stands out like a horn; and it also looks like a horn
conjoined and fixed with the other horns. And the expression, 'With these
shall he push as with horns the nations from one end of the earth to
another,' is indicative of what is now the fact among all the nations. For
some out of all the nations, through the power of this mystery, having been
so pushed, that is, pricked in their hearts, have turned from vain idols
and demons to serve God. But the same figure is revealed for the
destruction and condemnation of the unbelievers; even as Amalek was
defeated and Israel victorious when the people came out of Egypt, by means
of the type of the stretching out of Moses' hands, and the name of Jesus
(Joshua), by which the son of Nave (Nun) was called. And it seems that the
type and sign, which was erected to counteract the serpents which bit
Israel, was intended for the salvation of those who believe that death was
declared to come thereafter on the serpent through Him that would be
crucified, but salvation to those who had been bitten by him and had
betaken themselves to Him that sent His Son into the world to be
crucified.(4) For the Spirit of prophecy by Moses did not teach us to
believe in the serpent, since it shows us that he was cursed by God from
the beginning; and in Isaiah tells us that he shall be put to death as an
enemy by the mighty sword, which is Christ.
CHAP. XCII.--UNLESS THE SCRIPTURES BE UNDERSTOOD THROUGH GOD'S GREAT GRACE,
GOD WILL NOT APPEAR TO HAVE TAUGHT ALWAYS THE SAME RIGHTEOUSNESS..
"Unless, therefore, a man by God's great grace receives the power to
understand what has been said and done by the prophets, the appearance of
being able to repeat the words or the deeds will not profit him, if he
cannot explain the argument of them. And will they not assuredly appear
contemptible to many, since they are related by those who understood them
not? For if one should wish to ask you why, since Enoch, Noah with his
sons, and all others in similar circumstances, who neither were circumcised
nor kept the Sabbath, pleased God, God demanded by other leaders, and by
the giving of the law after the lapse of so many generations, that those
who lived between the times of Abraham and of Moses be justified by
circumcision, and that those who lived after Moses be justified by
circumcision and the other ordinances--to wit, the Sabbath, and sacrifices,
and libations,(5) and offerings; [God will be slandered] unless you show,
as I have already said, that God who foreknew was aware that your nation
would deserve expulsion from Jerusalem, and that none would be permitted to
enter into it.(For(6) you are not distinguished in any other way than by
the fleshly circumcision, as I remarked previously. For Abraham was
declared by God to be righteous, not on account of circumcision, but on
account of faith. For before he was circumcised the following statement was
made regarding him: 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him
for righteousness.'(7) And we, therefore, in the uncircumcision of our
flesh, believing God through Christ, and having that circumcision which is
of advantage to us who have acquired it--namely, that of the heart--we hope
to appear righteous before and well-pleasing to God: since already we have
received His testimony through the words of the prophets.) [And, further,
God will be slandered unless you show] that you were commanded to observe
the Sabbath, and to present offerings, and that the Lord submitted to have
a place called by the name of God, in order that, as has been said, you
might not become impious and godless by worshipping idols and forgetting
God, as indeed you do always appear to have been. (Now, that God enjoined
the ordinances of Sabbaths and offerings for these reasons, I have proved
in what I previously remarked; but for the sake of those who came to-day, I
wish to repeat nearly the whole.) For if this is not the case, God will be
slandered,(1) as having no foreknowledge, and as not teaching all men to
know and to do the same acts of righteousness (for many. generations of men
appear to have existed before Moses); and the Scripture is not true which
affirms that 'God is true and righteous, and all His ways are judgments,
and there is no unrighteousness in him.' But since the Scripture is true,
God is always willing that such even as you be neither foolish nor lovers
of yourselves, in order that you may obtain the salvation of Christ,(2) who
pleased God, and received testimony from Him, as I have already said, by
alleging proof from the holy words of prophecy.
CHAP. XCIII.--THE SAME KIND OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS BESTOWED ON ALL. CHRIST
COMPREHENDS IT IN TWO PRECEPTS.
"For [God] sets before every race of mankind that which is always and
universally just, as well as all righteousness; and every race knows that
adultery, and fornication, and homicide,(3) and such like, are sinful; and
though they all commit such practices, yet they do not escape from the
knowledge that they act unrighteously whenever they so do, with the
exception of those who are possessed with an unclean spirit, and who have
been debased by education, by wicked customs, and by sinful institutions,
and who have lost, or rather quenched and put under, their natural ideas.
For we may see that such persons are unwilling to submit to the same things
which they inflict upon others, and reproach each other with hostile
consciences for the acts which they perpetrate. And hence I think that our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ spoke well when He summed up all
righteousness and piety in two commandments. They are these: 'Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy strength, and
thy neighbour as thyself.'(4) For the man who loves God with all the heart,
and with all the strength, being filled with a God-fearing mind, will
reverence no other god; and since God wishes it, he would reverence that
angel who is beloved by the same Lord and God. And the man who loves his
neighbour as himself will wish for him the same good things that he wishes
for himself, and no man will wish evil things for himself. Accordingly, he
who loves his neighbour would pray and labour that his neighbour may be
possessed of the same benefits as himself. Now nothing else is neighbour to
man than that similarly-affectioned and reasonable being--man. Therefore,
since all righteousness is divided into two branches, namely, in so far as
it regards God and men, whoever, says the Scripture, loves the Lord God
with all the heart, and all the strength, and his neighbour as himself,
would be truly a righteous man. But you were never shown to be possessed of
friendship or love either towards God, or towards the prophets, or towards
yourselves, but, as is evident, you are ever found to be idolaters and
murderers of righteous men, so that you laid hands even on Christ Himself;
and to this very day you abide in your wickedness, execrating those who
prove that this man who was crucified by you is the Christ. Nay, more than
this, you suppose that He was crucified as hostile to and cursed by God,
which supposition is the product of your most irrational mind. For though
you have the means of understanding that this man is Christ from the signs
given by Moses, yet you will not; but, in addition, fancying that we can
have no arguments, you put whatever question comes into your minds, while
you yourselves are at a loss for arguments whenever you meet with some
firmly established Christian.
CHAP. XCIV.-- IN WHAT SENSE HE WHO HANGS ON A TREE IS CURSED.
"For tell me, was it not God who commanded by Moses that no image or
likeness of anything which was in heaven above or which was on the earth
should be made, and yet who caused the brazen serpent to be made by Moses
in the wilderness, and set it up for a sign by which those bitten by
serpents were saved? Yet is He free from unrighteousness. For by this, as I
previously remarked, He proclaimed the mystery, by which He declared that
He would break the power of the serpent which occasioned the transgression
of Adam, and [would bring] to them that believe on Him [who was
foreshadowed] by this sign, i.e., Him who was to be crucified, salvation
from the fangs of the serpent, which are wicked deeds, idolatries, and
other unrighteous acts. Unless the matter be so understood, give me a
reason why Moses set up the brazen serpent for a sign, and bade those that
were bitten gaze at it, and the wounded were healed; and this, too, when he
had himself commanded that no likeness of anything whatsoever should be
made."
On this, another of those who came on the second day said, "You have
spoken truly: we cannot give a reason. For I have frequently interrogated
the teachers about this matter, and none of them gave me a reason:
therefore continue what you are speaking; for we are paying attention while
you unfold the mystery, on account of which the doctrines of the prophets
are falsely slandered."
Then I replied, "Just as God commanded the sign to be made by the
brazen serpent, and yet He is blameless; even so, though a curse lies in
the law against persons who are crucified, yet no curse lies on the Christ
of God, by whom all that have committed things worthy of a curse are
saved.(1)
CHAP. XCV.--CHRIST TOOK UPON HIMSELF THE CURSE DUE TO US.
"For the whole human race will be found to be under a curse. For it is
written in the law of Moses, 'Cursed is every one that continueth not in
all things that are written in the book of the law to do them.'(2) And no
one has accurately done all, nor will you venture to deny this; but some
more and some less than others have observed the ordinances enjoined. But
if those who are under this law appear to be under a curse for not having
observed all the requirements, how much more shall all the nations appear
to be under a curse who practise idolatry, who seduce youths, and commit
other crimes? If, then, the Father of all wished His Christ for the whole
human family to take upon Him the curses of all, knowing that, after He had
been crucified and was dead, He would raise Him up, why do you argue about
Him, who submitted to suffer these things according to the Father's will,
as if He were accursed, and do not rather bewail yourselves? For although
His Father caused Him to suffer these things in behalf of the human family,
yet you did not commit the deed as in obedience to the will of God. For you
did not practise piety when you slew the prophets. And let none of you say:
If His Father wished Him to suffer this, in order that by His stripes the
human race might be healed, we have done no wrong. If, indeed, you repent
of your sins, and recognise Him to be Christ, and observe His commandments,
then you may assert this; for, as I have said before, remission of sins
shall be yours. But if you curse Him and them that believe on Him, and,
when you have the power, put them to death, how is it possible that
requisition shall not be made of you, as of unrighteous and sinful men,
altogether hard-hearted and without understanding, because you laid your
hands on Him?
CHAP. XCVI.--THAT CURSE WAS A PREDICTION OF THE THINGS WHICH THE JEWS WOULD
DO.
"For the statement in the law, 'Cursed is every one that hangeth on a
tree,'(3) confirms our hope which depends on the crucified Christ, not
because He who has been crucified is cursed by God, but because God
foretold that which would be done by you all, and by those like to your,
who do not know(4) that this is He who existed before all, who is the
eternal Priest of God, and King, and Christ. And you clearly see that this
has come to pass. For you curse in your synagogues all those who are
called(5) from Him Christians; and other nations effectively carry out the
curse, putting to death those who simply confess themselves to be
Christians; to all of whom we say, You are our brethren; rather recognise
the truth of God. And while neither they nor you are persuaded by us, but
strive earnestly to cause us to deny the name of Christ, we choose rather
and submit to death, in the full assurance that all the good which God has
promised through Christ He will reward us with. And in addition to all this
we pray for you, that Christ may have mercy upon you. For He taught us to
pray for our enemies also, saying, 'Love your enemies; be kind and
merciful, as your heavenly Father is.'(6) For we see that the Almighty God
is kind and merciful, causing His sun to rise on the un-thankful and on the
righteous, and sending rain on the holy and on the wicked; all of whom He
has taught us He will judge.
CHAP. XCVII.--OTHER PREDICTIONS OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST.
"For it was not without design that the prophet Moses, when Hur and
Aaron upheld his hands, remained in this form until evening. For indeed the
Lord remained upon the tree almost until evening, and they buried Him at
eventide; then on the third day He rose again. This was declared by David
thus: 'With my voice I cried to the Lord, and He heard me out of His holy
hill. I laid me down, and slept; I awaked, for the Lord sustained me.'(7)
And Isaiah likewise mentions concerning Him the manner in which He would
die, thus: 'I have spread out My hands unto a people disobedient, and
gainsaying, that walk in a way which is not good.'(8) And that He would
rise again, Isaiah himself said: 'His burial has been taken away from the
midst, and I will give the rich for His death.'(9) And again, in other
words, David in the twenty-first(10) Psalm thus refers to the suffering and
to the cross in a parable of mystery: 'They pierced my hands and my feet;
they counted all my bones. They considered and gazed on me; they parted my
garments among themselves, and cast lots upon my vesture.' For when they
crucified Him, driving in the nails, they pierced His hands and feet; and
those who crucified Him parted His garments among themselves, each casting
lots for what he chose to have, and receiving according to the decision of
the lot. And this very Psalm you maintain does not refer to Christ; for
you are in all respects blind, and do not understand that no one in your
nation who has been called King or Christ has ever had his hands or feet
pierced while alive, or has died in this mysterious fashion--to wit, by the
cross--save this Jesus alone.
CHAP. XCVIII.-- PREDICTIONS OF CHRIST IN PS. XXII.
"I shall repeat the whole Psalm, in order that you may hear His
reverence to the Father, and how He refers all things to Him, and prays to
be delivered by Him from this death; at the same time declaring in the
Psalm who they are that rise up against Him, and showing that He has truly
become man capable of suffering. It is as follows: 'O God, my God, attend
to me why hast Thou forsaken me? The words of my transgressions are far
from my salvation. O my God, I will cry to Thee in the day-time, and Thou
wilt not hear; and in the night-season, and it is not for want of
understanding in me. But Thou, the Praise of Israel, inhabitest the holy
place. Our fathers trusted in Thee; they trusted, and Thou didst deliver
them. They cried unto Thee, and were delivered: they trusted in Thee, and
were not confounded. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and
despised of the people. All they that see me laughed me to scorn; they
spake with the lips, they shook the head: He trusted on the Lord: let Him
deliver him, let Him save him, since he desires Him. For Thou art He that
took me out of the womb; my hope from the breasts of my mother I was cast
upon Thee from the womb. Thou art my God from my mother's belly: be not far
from me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many calves have
compassed me; fat bulls have beset me round. They opened their mouth upon
me, as a ravening and roaring lion. All my bones are poured out and
dispersed like water. My heart has become like wax melting in the midst of
my belly. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue has
cleaved to my throat; and Thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For
many dogs have surrounded me; the assembly of the wicked have beset me
round. They pierced my hands and my feet, they did tell all my bones. They
did look and stare upon me; they parted my garments among them, and cast
lots upon my vesture. But do not Thou remove Thine assist-ante from me, O
Lord: give heed to help me; deliver my soul from the sword, and my(1) only-
begotten from the hand of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth, and my
humility from the horns of the unicorns. I will declare Thy name to my
brethren; in the midst of the Church will I praise Thee. Ye that fear the
Lord, praise Him: all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify Him. Let all the seed
of Israel fear Him.' "
CHAP. XCIX.--IN THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE PSALM ARE CHRIST'S DYING WORDS.
And when I had said these words, I continued: "Now I will demonstrate
to you that the whole Psalm refers thus to Christ, by the words which I
shall again explain. What is said at first--'O God, my God, attend to me:
why hast Thou forsaken me?'--announced from the beginning that which was to
be said in the time of Christ. For when crucified, He spake: 'O God, my
God, why hast Thou forsaken me?' And what follows: 'The words of my
transgressions are far from my salvation. O my God, I will cry to Thee in
the day-time, and Thou wilt not hear; and in the night-season, and it is
not for want of understanding in me.' These, as well as the things which He
was to do, were spoken. For on the day on which He was to be crucified,(2)
having taken three of His disciples to the hill called Olivet, situated
opposite to the temple in Jerusalem, He prayed in these words: 'Father, if
it be possible, let this cup pass from me.'(3) And again He prayed: "Not as
I will, but as Thou wilt;'(4) showing by this that He had become truly a
suffering man. But lest any one should say, He did not know then that He
had to suffer, He adds immediately in the Psalm: 'And it is not for want of
under standing in me.' Even as there was no ignorance on God's part when He
asked Adam where he was, or asked Cain where Abel was; but [it was done] to
convince each what kind of man he was, and in order that through the record
[of Scripture] we might have a knowledge of all: so likewise Christ
declared that ignorance was not on His side, but on theirs, who thought
that He was not the Christ, but fancied they would put Him to death, and
that He, like some common mortal, would remain in Hades.
CHAP. C.--IN WHAT SENSE CHRIST IS [CALLED] JACOB, AND ISRAEL, AND SON OF
MAN.
"Then what follows--'But Thou, the praise of Israel, inhabitest the
holy place'--declared that He is to do something worthy of praise and
wonderment, being about to rise again from the dead on the third day after
the crucifixion; and this He has obtained from the Father. For I have
showed already that Christ is called both Jacob and Israel; and I have
proved that it is not in the blessing of Joseph and Judah alone that what
relates to Him was proclaimed mysteriously, but also in the Gospel it is
written that He said: 'All things are delivered unto me by My Father;' and,
'No man knoweth the Father but the Son; nor the Son but the Father, and
they to whom the Son will reveal Him.'(1) Accordingly He revealed to us all
that we have perceived by His grace out of the Scriptures, so that we know
Him to be the first-begotten of God, and to be before all creatures;
likewise to be the Son of the patriarchs, since He assumed flesh by the
Virgin of their family, and submitted to become a man without comeliness,
dishonoured, and subject to suffering. Hence, also, among His words He
said, when He was discoursing about His future sufferings: "The Son of man
must suffer many things, and be rejected by the Pharisees and Scribes, and
be crucified, and on the third day rise again.'(2) He said then that He was
the Son of man, either because of His birth by the Virgin, who was, as I
said, of the family of David(3) and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham; or
because Adam(4) was the father both of Himself and of those who have been
first enumerated from whom Mary derives her descent. For we know that the
fathers of women are the fathers likewise of those children whom their
daughters bear. For [Christ] called one of His disciples--previously known
by the name of Simon--Peter; since he recognised Him to be Christ the Son.
of God, by the revelation of His Father: and since we find it recorded in
the memoirs of His apostles that He is the Son of God, and since we call
Him the Son, we have understood that He proceeded before all creatures from
the Father by His power and will (for He is addressed in the writings of
the prophets in one way or another as Wisdom, and the Day,(5) and the East,
and a Sword, and a Stone, and a Rod, and Jacob, and Israel); and that He
became man by the Virgin, in order that the disobedience which proceeded
from the serpent might receive its destruction in the same manner in which
it derived its origin. For Eve, who was a virgin and undefiled, having
conceived the word of the serpent, brought forth disobedience and death.
But the Virgin Mary received faith and joy, when the angel Gabriel
announced the good tidings to her that the Spirit of the Lord would come
upon her, and the power of the Highest would overshadow her: wherefore also
the Holy Thing begotten of her is the Son of God;(6) and she replied, 'Be
it unto me according to thy word.' "(7) And by her has He been born, to
whom we have proved so many Scriptures refer, and by whom God destroys both
the serpent and those angels and men who are like him; but works
deliverance from death to those who repent of their wickedness and believe
upon Him.
CHAP. CI.--CHRIST REFERS ALL THINGS TO THE FATHER
"Then what follows of the Psalm is this, in which He says: 'Our fathers
trusted in Thee; they trusted, and Thou didst deliver them. They cried unto
Thee, and were not confounded. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of
men, and despised of the people;' which show that He admits them to be His
fathers, who trusted in God and were saved by Him, who also were the
fathers of the Virgin, by whom He was born and became man; and He foretells
that He shall be saved by the same God, but boasts not in accomplishing
anything through His own will or might. For when on earth He acted in the
very same manner, and answered to one who addressed Him as' Good Master:'
Why callest thou me good? One is good, my Father who is in heaven.'(8) But
when He says, I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of
the people,' He prophesied the things which do exist, and which happen to
Him. For we who believe on Him are everywhere a reproach, 'despised of the
people;' for, rejected and dishonoured by your nation, He suffered those
indignities which you planned against Him. And the following: 'All they
that see me laughed me to scorn; they spake with the lips, they shook the
head: He trusted in the Lord; let Him deliver him, since he desires Him;'
this likewise He foretold should happen to Him. For they that saw Him
crucified shook their heads each one of them, and distorted their lips, and
twisting their noses to each other,(9) they spake in mockery the words
which are recorded in the memoirs of His apostles: 'He said he was the Son
of God: let him come down; let God save him.'
CHAP. CII.--THE PREDICTION OF THE EVENTS WHICH HAPPENED TO CHRIST WHEN HE
WAS BORN. WHY GOD PERMITTED IT.
"And what follows--'My hope from the breasts of my mother. On Thee have
I been cast from the womb; from my mother's belly Thou art my God: for
there is no helper. Many calves have compassed me; fat bulls have beset me
round. They opened their mouth upon me, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
All my bones are poured out and dispersed like water. My heart has become
likes wax melting in the midst of my belly. My strength is become dry like
a potsherd; and my tongue has cleaved to my throat'--foretold what would
come to pass; for the statement, 'My hope from the breasts of my mother,'
[is thus explained]. As soon as He was born in Bethlehem, as I previously
remarked, king Herod, having learned from the Arabian Magi about Him, made
a plot to put Him to death and by God's command Joseph took Him with Mary
and departed into Egypt. For the Father had decreed that He whom He had
begotten should be put to death, but not before He had grown to manhood,
and proclaimed the word which proceeded from Him. But if any of you say to
us, Could not God rather have put Herod to death? I return answer by
anticipation: Could not God have cut off in the beginning the serpent, so
that he exist not, rather than have said, 'And I will put enmity between
him and the woman, and between his seed and her seed?'(1) Could He not have
at once created a multitude of men? But yet, since He knew that it would be
good, He created both angels and men free to do that which is righteous,
and He appointed periods of time during which He knew it would be good for
them to have the exercise of free-will; and because He likewise knew it
would be good, He made general and particular judgments; each one's freedom
of will, however, being guarded. Hence Scripture says the following, at the
destruction of the tower, and division and alteration of tongues: 'And the
Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and
this they have begun to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them of
all which they have attempted to do.'(2) And the statement, 'My strength is
become dry like a potsherd, and my tongue has cleaved to my throat,' was
also a prophecy of what would be done by Him according to the Father's
will. For the power of His strong word, by which He always confuted the
Pharisees and Scribes, and, in short, all your nation's teachers that
questioned Him, had a cessation like a plentiful and strong spring, the
waters of which have been turned off, when He kept silence, and chose to
return no answer to any one in the presence of Pilate; as has been declared
in the memoirs of His apostles, in order that what is recorded by Isaiah
might have efficacious fruit, where it is written, 'The Lord gives me a
tongue, that I may know when I ought to speak.'(3) Again, when He said,
'Thou art my God; be not far from me,' He taught that all men ought to hope
in God who created all things, and seek salvation and help from Him alone;
and not suppose, as the rest of men do, that salvation can be obtained by
birth, or wealth, or strength, or wisdom. And such have ever been your
practices: at one time you made a calf, and always you have shown
yourselves ungrateful, murderers of the righteous, and proud of your
descent. For if the Son of God evidently states that He can be saved,
[neither](4) because He is a son, nor because He is strong or wise, but
that without God He cannot be saved, even though He be sinless, as Isaiah
declares in words to the effect that even in regard to His very language He
committed no sin (for He committed no iniquity or guile with His mouth),
how do you or others who expect to be saved without this hope, suppose that
you are not deceiving yourselves?
CHAP. CIII.--THE PHARISEES ARE THE BULLS: THE ROARING LION IS HEROD OR THE
DEVIL.
"Then what is next said in the Psalm--'For trouble is near, for there
is none to help me. Many calves have compassed me; fat bulls have beset me
round. They opened their mouth upon me as a ravening and roaring lion. All
my bones are poured out and dispersed like water,'--was likewise a
prediction of the events which happened to Him. For on that night when some
of your nation, who had been sent by the Pharisees and Scribes, and
teachers,(5) came upon Him from the Mount(6) of Olives, those whom
Scripture called butting and prematurely destructive calves surrounded Him.
And the expression, 'Fat bulls have beset me round,' He spoke beforehand of
those who acted similarly to the calves, when He was led before your
teachers. And the Scripture described them as bulls, since we know that
bulls are authors of calves' existence. As therefore the bulls are the
begetters of the calves, so your teachers were the cause why their children
went out to the Mount of Olives to take Him and bring Him to them. And the
expression, 'For there is none to help,' is also indicative of what took
place. For there was not even a single man to assist Him as an innocent
person. And the expression, 'They opened their mouth upon me like a roaring
lion,' designates him who was then king of the Jews, and was called Herod,
a successor of the Herod who, when Christ was born, slew all the infants in
Bethlehem born about the same time, because he imagined that amongst them
He would assuredly be of whom the Magi from Arabia had spoken; for he was
ignorant of the will of Him that is stronger than all, how He had commanded
Joseph and Mary to take the Child and depart into Egypt, and there to
remain until a revelation should again be made to them to return into their
own country. And there they did remain until Herod, who slew the infants in
Bethlehem, was dead, and Archelaus had succeeded him. And he died before
Christ came to the dispensation on the cross which was given Him by His
Father. And when Herod succeeded Archelaus, having received the authority
which had been allotted to him, Pilate sent to him by way of compliment
Jesus bound; and God foreknowing that this would happen, had thus spoken:
'And they brought Him to the Assyrian, a present to the king.'(1) Or He
meant the devil by the lion roaring against Him: whom Moses calls the
serpent, but in Job and Zechariah he is called the devil, and by Jesus is
addressed as Satan, showing that a compounded name was acquired by him from
the deeds which he performed. For 'Sata' in the Jewish and Syrian tongue
means apostate; and 'Nas' is the word from which he is called by
interpretation the serpent, i.e., according to the interpretation of the
Hebrew term, from both of which there arises the single word Satanas. For
this devil, when [Jesus] went up from the river Jordan, at the time when
the voice spake to Him, 'Thou art my Son: this day have I begotten
Thee,'(2) is recorded in the memoirs of the apostles to have come to Him
and tempted Him, even so far as to say to Him, 'Worship me;' and Christ
answered him, 'Get thee behind me, Satan: thou shalt worship the Lord thy
God, and Him only shalt thou serve.'(3) For as he had deceived Adam, so he
hoped(4) that he might contrive some mischief against Christ also.
Moreover, the statement, 'All my bones are poured out(5) and dispersed like
water; my heart has become like wax, melting in the midst of my belly,' was
a prediction of that which happened to Him on that night when men came out
against Him to the Mount of Olives to seize Him. For in the memoirs which I
say were drawn up by His apostles and those who followed them, [it is
recorded] that His sweat fell down like drops of blood while He was
praying, and saying, 'If it be possible, let this cup pass:'(6) His heart
and also His bones trembling; His heart being like wax melting in His
belly:(7) in order that we may perceive that the Father wished His Son
really(8) to undergo such sufferings for our sakes, and may not say that
He, being the Son of God, did not feel what was happening to Him and
inflicted on Him. Further, the expression, 'My strength is dried up like a
potsherd, and my tongue has cleaved to my throat,' was a prediction, as I
previously remarked, of that silence, when He who convicted all your
teachers of being unwise returned no answer at all.
CHAP. CIV.--CIRCUMSTANCES OF CHRIST'S DEATH ARE PREDICTED IN THIS BALM.
"And the statement, 'Thou hast brought me into the dust of death; for
many dogs have surrounded me: the assembly of the wicked have beset me
round. They pierced my hands and my feet. They did tell all my bones. They
did look and stare upon me. They parted my garments among them, and cast
lots upon my vesture,'--was a prediction, as I said before, of the death to
which the synagogue of the wicked would condemn Him, whom He calls both
dogs and hunters, declaring that those who hunted Him were both gathered
together and assiduously striving to condemn Him. And this is recorded to
have happened in the memoirs of His apostles. And I have shown that, after
His crucifixion, they who crucified Him parted His garments among them.
CHAP. CV.--THE PSALM ALSO PREDICTS THE CRUCIFIXION AND THE SUBJECT OF THE
LAST PRAYERS OF CHRIST ON EARTH.
"And what follows of the Psalm,--'But Thou, Lord, do not remove Thine
assistance from me; give heed to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword,
and my(9) only-begotten from the hand of the dog; save me from the lion's
mouth, and my humility from the horns of the unicorns,'--was also
information and prediction of the events which should befall Him. For I
have already proved that He was the only-begotten of the Father of all
things, being begotten in a peculiar manner Word and Power by Him, and
having afterwards become man through the Virgin, as we have learned from
the memoirs. Moreover, it is similarly foretold that He would die by
crucifixion. For the passage, 'Deliver my soul from the sword, and my(10)
only-begotten from the hand of the dog; save me from the lion's mouth, and
my humility from the horns of the unicorns,' is indicative of the suffering
by which He should die, i.e., by crucifixion. For the 'horns of the,
unicorns,' I have already explained to you, are the figure of the cross
only. And the prayer that His soul should be saved from the sword, and
lion's mouth, and hand of the dog, was a prayer that no one should take
possession of His soul: so that, when we arrive at the end of life, we may
ask the same petition from God, who is able to turn away every shameless
evil angel from taking our souls. And that the souls survive, I have
shown(1) to you from the fact that the soul of Samuel was called up by the
witch, as Saul demanded. And it appears also, that all the souls of
similiar righteous men and prophets fell under the dominion of such powers,
as is indeed to be inferred from the very facts in the case of that witch.
Hence also God by His Son teaches(2) us for whose sake these things seem to
have been done, always to strive earnestly, and at death to pray that our
souls may not fall into the hands of any such power. For when Christ was
giving up His spirit on the cross, He said, 'Father, into Thy hands I
commend my spirit,'(3) as I have learned also from the memoirs. For He
exhorted His disciples to surpass the pharisaic way of living, with the
warning, that if they did not, they might be sure they could not be saved;
and these words are recorded in the memoirs: 'Unless your righteousness
exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall not enter into the
kingdom of heaven.'(4)
CHAP. CVI.--CHRIST'S RESURRECTION IS FORETOLD IN THE CONCLUSION OF THE
PSALM.
"The remainder of the Psalm makes it manifest that He knew His Father
would grant to Him all things which He asked, and would raise Him from the
dead; and that He urged all who fear God to praise Him because He had
compassion on all races of believing men, through the mystery of Him who
was crucified; and that He stood in the midst of His brethren the apostles
(who repented of their flight from Him when He was crucified, after He rose
from the dead, and after they were persuaded by Himself that, before His
passion He had mentioned to them that He must suffer these things, and that
they were announced beforehand by the prophets), and when living with them
sang praises to God, as is made evident in the memoirs of the apostles. The
words are the following: 'I will declare Thy name to my brethren; in the
midst of the Church will I praise Thee. Ye that fear the Lord, praise Him;
all ye, the seed of Jacob, glorify Him.
Let all the seed of Israel fear Him.' And when it is said that He
changed the name of one of the apostles to Peter; and when it is written in
the memoirs of Him that this so happened, as well as that He changed the
names of other two brothers, the sons of Zebedee, to Boanerges, which means
sons of thunder; this was an announcement of the fact that it was He by
whom Jacob was called Israel, and Oshea called Jesus (Joshua), under whose
name the people who survived of those that came from Egypt were conducted
into the land promised to the patriarchs. And that He should arise like a
star from the seed of Abraham, Moses showed before hand when he thus said,
'A star shall arise from Jacob, and a leader from Israel;'(5) and another
Scripture says, 'Behold a man; the East is His name.'(6) Accordingly, when
a star rose in heaven at the time of His birth, as is recorded in the
memoirs of His apostles, the Magi from Arabia, recognising the sign by
this, came and worshipped Him.
CHAP. CVII.--THE SAME IS TAUGHT FROM THE HISTORY OF JONAH.
"And that He would rise again on the third day after the crucifixion,
it is written(7) in the memoirs that some of your nation, questioning Him,
said, 'Show us a sign;' and He replied to them, 'An evil and adulterous
generation seeketh after a sign; and no sign shall be given them, save the
sign of Jonah.' And since He spoke this obscurely, it was to be understood
by the audience that after His crucifixion He should rise again on the
third day. And He showed that your generation was more wicked and more
adulterous than the city of Nineveh; for the latter, when Jonah preached to
them, after he had been cast up on the third day from the belly of the
great fish, that after three (in other versions, forty)(8) days they should
all perish, proclaimed a fast of all creatures, men and beasts, with
sackcloth, and with earnest lamentation, with true repentance from the
heart, and turning away from unrighteousness, in the belief that God is
merciful and kind to all who turn from wickedness; so that the king of that
city himself, with his nobles also, put on sackcloth and remained fasting
and praying, and obtained their request that the city should not be
overthrown. But when Jonah was grieved that on the (fortieth) third day, as
he proclaimed, the city was not overthrown, by the dispensation of a gourd
(9) springing up from the earth for him, under which he sat and was shaded
from the heat (now the gourd had sprung up suddenly, and Jonah had neither
planted nor watered it, but it had come up all at once to afford him
shade), and by the other dispensation of its withering away, for which
Jonah grieved, [God] convicted him of being unjustly displeased because the
city of Nineveh had not been overthrown, and said, 'Thou hast had pity on
the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow;
which came up in a night, and perished in a night. And shall I not spare
Nineveh, the great city, wherein dwell more than six score thousand
persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand;
and also much cattle?'(1)
CHAP. CVII.--THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST DID NOT CONVERT THE JEWS. BUT
THROUGH THE WHOLE WORLD THEY HAVE SENT MEN TO ACCUSE CHRIST.
"And though all the men of your nation knew the incidents in the life
of Jonah, and though Christ said amongst you that He would give the sign of
Jonah, exhorting you to repent of your wicked deeds at least after He rose
again from the dead, and to mourn before God as did the Ninevites, in order
that your nation and city might not be taken and destroyed, as they have
been destroyed; yet you not only have not repented, after you learned that
He rose from the dead, but, as I said before(2) you have sent chosen and
ordained men throughout all the world to proclaim that a godless and
lawless heresy had sprung from one Jesus, a Galilaean deceiver, whom we
crucified, but his disciples stole him by night from the tomb, where he was
laid when unfastened from the cross, and now deceive men by asserting that
he has risen from the dead and ascended to heaven. Moreover, you accuse Him
of having taught those godless, lawless, and unholy doctrines which you
mention to the condemnation of those who confess Him to be Christ, and a
Teacher from and Son of God. Besides this, even when your city is captured,
and your land ravaged, you do not repent, but dare to utter imprecations on
Him and all who believe in Him. Yet we do not hate you or those who, by
your means, have conceived such prejudices against us; but we pray that
even now all of you may repent and obtain mercy from God, the compassionate
and long-suffering Father of all.
CHAP. CIX.--THE CONVERSION OF THE GENTILES HAS BEEN PREDICTED BY MICAH.
"But that the Gentiles would repent of the evil in which they led
erring lives, when they heard the doctrine preached by His apostles from
Jerusalem, and which they learned(3) through them, suffer me to show you by
quoting a short statement from the prophecy of Micah, one of the twelve
[minor prophets]. This is as follows: 'And in the last days the mountain of
the Lord shall be manifest, established on the top of the mountains; it
shall be exalted above the hills, arid people shall flow unto it.(4) And
many nations shall go, and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the
Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and they shall enlighten us in
His way, and we shall walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the
law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among many
peoples, and shall rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat
their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into sickles: nation shall
not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
And each man shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree; and there
shall be none to terrify: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken
it. For all people will walk in the name of their gods; but we will walk in
the name of the Lord our God for ever. And it shall come to pass in that
day, that I will assemble her that is afflicted, and gather her that is
driven out, and whom I had plagued; and I shall make her that is afflicted
a remnant, and her that is oppressed a strong nation. And the Lord shall
reign over them in Mount Zion from henceforth, and even for ever.' "(5)
CHAP. CX.--A PORTION OF THE PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED IN THE CHRISTIANS:
THE REST SHALL BE FULFILLED AT THE SECOND ADVENT.
And when I had finished these words, I continued: "Now I am aware that
your teachers, sirs, admit the whole of the words of this passage to refer
to Christ; and I am likewise aware that they maintain He has not yet come;
or if they say that He has come, they assert that it is not known who He
is; but when He shall become manifest and glorious, then it shall be known
who He is. And then, they say, the events mentioned in this passage shall
happen, just as if there was no fruit as yet from the words of the
prophecy. O unreasoning men! understanding not what has been proved by all
these passages, that two advents of Christ have been announced: the one, in
which He is set forth as suffering, inglorious, dishonoured, and crucified;
but the other, in which He shall come from heaven with glory, when the man
of apostasy,(6) who speaks strange things against the Most High, shall
venture to do unlawful deeds on the earth against us the Christians, who,
having learned the true worship of God from the law, and the word which
went forth from Jerusalem by means of the apostles of Jesus, have fled for
safety to the God of Jacob and God of Israel; and we who were filled with
war, and mutual slaughter, and every wickedness, have each through the
whole earth changed our warlike weapons,--our swords into ploughshares, and
our spears into implements of tillage,--and we cultivate piety,
righteousness, philanthropy, faith, and hope, which we have from the Father
Himself through Him who was crucified; and sitting each under his vine,
i.e., each man possessing his own married wife. For you are aware that the
prophetic word says, 'And his wife shall be like a fruitful vine.'(1) Now
it is evident that no one can terrify or subdue us who have believed in
Jesus over all the world. For it is plain that, though beheaded, and
crucified, and thrown to wild beasts, and chains, and fire, and all other
kinds of torture, we do not give up our confession; but the more such
things happen, the more do others and in larger numbers become faithful,
and worshippers of God through the name of Jesus. For Just as if one should
cut away the fruit-bearing parts of a vine, it grows up again, and yields
other branches flourishing and fruitful; even so the same thing happens
with us. For the vine planted by God and Christ the Saviour is His people.
But the rest of the prophecy shall be fulfilled at His second coming. For
the expression, 'He that is afflicted [and driven out],' i.e., from the
world, [implies] that, so far as you and all other men have it in your
power, each Christian has been driven out not only from his own property,
but even from the whole world; for you permit no Christian to live. But you
say that the same fate has befallen your own nation. Now, if you have been
cast out after defeat in battle, you have suffered such treatment justly
indeed, as all the Scriptures bear witness; but we, though we have done no
such [evil acts] after we knew the truth of God, are testified to by God,
that, together with the most righteous, and only spotless and sinless
Christ, we are taken away out of the earth. For Isaiah cries, 'Behold how
the righteous perishes, and no man lays it to heart; and righteous men are
taken away, and no man considers it.'(2)
CHAP. CXI.--THE TWO ADVENTS WERE SIGNIFIED BY THE TWO GOATS. OTHER FIGURES
OF THE FIRST ADVENT, IN WHICH THE GENTILES ARE FREED BY THE BLOOD OF
CHRIST.
"And that it was declared by symbol, even in the time of Moses, that
there would be two advents of this Christ, as I have mentioned previously,
[is manifest] from the symbol of the goats presented for sacrifice during
the fast. And again, by what Moses and Joshua did, the same thing was
symbolically announced and told beforehand. For the one of them, stretching
out his hands, remained till evening on the hill, his hands being
supported; and this reveals a type of no other thing than of the cross: and
the other, whose name was altered to Jesus (Joshua), led the fight, and
Israel conquered. Now this took place in the case of both those holy men
and prophets of God, that you may perceive how one of them could not bear
up both the mysteries: I mean, the type of the cross and the type of the
name. For this is, was, and shall be the strength of Him alone, whose name
every power dreads, being very much tormented because they shall be
destroyed by Him. Therefore our suffering and crucified Christ was not
cursed by the law, but made it manifest that He alone would save those who
do not depart from His faith. And the blood of the passover, sprinkled on
each man's door-posts and lintel, delivered those who were saved in Egypt,
when the first-born of the Egyptians were destroyed. For the passover was
Christ, who was afterwards sacrificed, as also Isaiah said, 'He was led as
a sheep to the slaughter.'(3) And it is written, that on the day of the
passover you seized Him, and that also during the passover you crucified
Him. And as the blood of the passover saved those who were in Egypt, so
also the blood of Christ will deliver from death those who have believed.
Would God, then, have been deceived if this sign had not been above the
doors? I do not say that; but I affirm that He announced beforehand the
future salvation for the human race through the blood of Christ. For the
sign of the scarlet thread, which the spies, sent to Jericho by Joshua, son
of Nave (Nun), gave to Rahab the harlot, telling her to bind it to the
window through which she let them down to escape from their enemies, also
manifested the symbol of the blood of Christ, by which those who were at
one time harlots and unrighteous persons out of all nations are saved,
receiving remission of sins, and continuing no longer in sin.
CHAP. CXII.--THE JEWS EXPOUND THESE SIGNS JEJUNELY AND FEEBLY, AND TAKE UP
THEIR ATTENTION ONLY WITH INSIGNIFICANT MATTERS.
"But you, expounding these things in a low [and earthly] manner, impute
much weakness to God, if you thus listen to them merely, and do not
investigate the force of the words spoken. Since even Moses would in this
way be considered a transgressor: for he enjoined that no likeness of
anything in heaven, or on earth, or in the sea, be made; and then he
himself made a brazen serpent and set it on a standard, and bade those who
were bitten look at it: and they were saved when they looked at it. Will
the serpent, then, which (I have already said) God had in the beginning
cursed and cut off by the great sword, as Isaiah says,(1) be understood as
having preserved at that time the people? and shall we receive these things
in the foolish acceptation of your teachers, and [regard] them not as
signs? And shall we not rather refer the standard to the resemblance of the
crucified Jesus, since also Moses by his outstretched hands, together with
him who was named Jesus (Joshua), achieved a victory for your people? For
in this way we shall cease to be at a loss about the things which the
lawgiver did, when he, without forsaking God, persuaded the people to hope
in a beast through which transgression and disobedience had their origin.
And this was done and said by the blessed prophet with much intelligence
and mystery; and there is nothing said or done by any one of the prophets,
without exception, which one can justly reprehend, if he possess the
knowledge which is in them. But if your teachers only expound to you why
female cancels are spoken of in this passage, and are not in that; or why
so many measures of fine flour and so many measures of oil [are used] in
the offerings; and do so in a low and sordid manner, while they never
venture either to speak of or to expound the points which are great and
worthy of investigation, or command you to give no audience to us while we
expound them, and to come not into conversation with us; will they not
deserve to hear what our Lord Jesus Christ said to them: 'Whited
sepulchres, which appear beautiful outward, and within are full of dead
men's bones; which pay tithe of mint, and swallow a camel: ye blind
guides!'(2) If, then, you will not despise the doctrines of those who exalt
themselves and wish to be called Rabbi, Rabbi, and come with such
earnestness and intelligence to the words of prophecy as to suffer the same
inflictions from your own people which the prophets themselves did, you
cannot receive any advantage whatsoever from the prophetic writings.
CHAP. CXIII. --JOSHUA WAS A FIGURE OF CHRIST.
"What I mean is this. Jesus (Joshua), as I have now frequently
remarked, who was called Oshea, when he was sent to spy out the land of
Canaan, was named by Moses Jesus (Joshua). Why he did this you neither ask,
nor are at a loss about it, nor make strict inquiries. Therefore Christ has
escaped your notice; and though you read, you understand not; and even now,
though you hear that Jesus is our Christ, you consider not that the name
was bestowed on Him not purposelessly nor by chance. But you make a
theological discussion as to why one ' a' was added to Abraham's first
name; and as to why one 'p' was added to Sarah's name, you use similar
high-sounding disputations.(3) But why do you not similarly investigate the
reason why the name of Oshea the son of Nave (Nun), which his father gave
him, was changed to Jesus (Joshua)? But since not only was his name
altered, but he was also appointed successor to Moses, being the only one
of his contemporaries who came out from Egypt, he led the surviving people
into the Holy Land; and as he, not Moses, led the people into the Holy
Land, and as he distributed it by lot to those who entered along with him,
so also Jesus the Christ will turn again the dispersion of the people, and
will distribute the good land to each one, though not in the same manner.
For the former gave them a temporary inheritance, seeing he was neither
Christ who is God, nor the Son of God; but the latter, after the holy
resurrection,(4) shall give us the eternal possession. The former, after he
had been named Jesus (Joshua), and after he had received strength from. His
Spirit, caused the sun to stand still. For I have proved that it was Jesus
who appeared to and conversed with Moses, and Abraham, and all the other
patriarchs without exception, ministering to the will of the Father; who
also, I say, came to be born man by the Virgin Mary, and I lives for ever.
For the latter is He after(5) whom and by whom the Father will renew both
the heaven and the earth; this is He who shall shine an eternal light in
Jerusalem; this is he who is the king of Salem after the order of
Melchizedek, and the eternal Priest of the Most High. The former is said to
have circumcised the people a second time with knives of stone (which was a
sign of this circumcision with which Jesus Christ Himself has circumcised
us from the idols made of stone and of other materials), and to have
collected together those who were circumcised from the uncircumcision,
i.e., from the error of the world, in every place by the knives of stone,
to wit, the words of our Lord Jesus. For I have shown that Christ was
proclaimed by the prophets in parables a Stone and a Rock. Accordingly the
knives of stone we shall take to mean His words, by means of which so many
who were in error have been circumcised from uncircumcision with the
circumcision of the heart, with which God by Jesus commanded those from
that time to be circumcised who derived their circumcision from Abraham,
saying that Jesus (Joshua) would circumcise a second time with knives of
stone those who entered into that holy land.
CHAP. CXIV.--SOME RULES FOR DISCERNING WHAT IS SAID ABOUT CHRIST. THE
CIRCUMCISION OF THE JEWS IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THAT WHICH CHRISTIANS
RECEIVE.
"For the Holy Spirit sometimes brought about that something, which was
the type of the future, should be done clearly; sometimes He uttered words
about what was to take place, as if it was then taking place, or had taken
place. And unless those who read perceive this art, they will not be able
to follow the words of the prophets as they ought. For example's sake, I
shall repeat some prophetic passages, that you may understand what I say.
When He speaks by Isaiah, 'He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like
a lamb before the shearer,'(1) He speaks as if the suffering had already
taken place. And when He says again, 'I have stretched out my hands to a
disobedient and gainsaying people;'(2) and when He says, 'Lord, who hath
believed our report?'(3)--the words are spoken as if announcing events
which had already come to pass. For I have shown that Christ is oftentimes
called a Stone in parable, and in figurative speech Jacob and Israel. And
again, when He says, 'I shall behold the heavens, the works of Thy
fingers,'(4) unless I understand His method of using words,(5) I shall not
understand intelligently, but just as your teachers suppose, fancying that
the Father of all, the unbegotten God, has hands and feet, and fingers, and
a soul, like a composite being; and they for this reason teach that it was
the Father Himself who appeared to Abraham and to Jacob. Blessed therefore
are we who have been circumcised the second time with knives of stone. For
your first circumcision was and is performed by iron instruments, for you
remain hard-hearted; but our circumcision, which is the second, having been
instituted after yours, circumcises us from idolatry and from absolutely
every kind of wickedness by sharp stones, i.e., by the words [preached] by
the apostles of the corner-stone cut out without hands. And our hearts are
thus circumcised from evil, so that we are happy to die for the name of the
good Rock, which causes living water to burst forth for the hearts of those
who by Him have loved the Father of all, and which gives those who are
willing to drink of the water of life. But you do not comprehend me when I
speak these things; for you have not understood what it has been prophesied
that Christ would do, and you do not believe us who draw your attention to
what has been written. For Jeremiah thus cries: 'Woe unto you! because you
have forsaken the living fountain, and have digged for yourselves broken
cisterns that can hold no water. Shall there be a wilderness where Mount
Zion is, because I gave Jerusalem a bill of divorce in your sight?'(6)
CHAP. CXV.--PREDICTION ABOUT THE CHRISTIANS IN ZECHARIAH. THE MALIGNANT WAY
WHICH THE JEWS HAVE IN DISPUTATIONS.
"But you ought to believe Zechariah when he shows in parable the
mystery of Christ, and announces it obscurely. The following are his words:
'Rejoice, and be glad, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I shall
dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations shall be added
to the Lord in that day. And they shall be my people, and I will dwell in
the midst of thee; and they shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me
unto thee. And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land,
and He shall choose Jerusalem again. Let all flesh fear before the Lord,
for He is raised up out of His holy clouds. And He showed me Jesus (Joshua)
the high priest standing before the angel [of the Lord(7)]; and the devil
stood at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said to the devil, The
Lord who hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee. Behold, is not this a brand
plucked out of the fire?' "(8)
As Trypho was about to reply and contradict me, I said, "Wait and hear
what I say first: for I am not to give the explanation which you suppose,
as if there had been no priest of the name of Joshua (Jesus) in the land of
Babylon, where your nation were prisoners. But even if I did, I have shown
that if there(9) was a priest named Joshua (Jesus) in your nation, yet the
prophet had not seen him in his revelation, just as he had not seen either
the devil or the angel of the Lord by eyesight, and in his waking
condition, but in a trance, at the time when the revelation was made to
him.(10) But I now say, that as [Scripture] said that the Son of Nave (Nun)
by the name Jesus (Joshua) wrought powerful works and exploits which
proclaimed beforehand what would be performed by our Lord; so I proceed now
to show that the revelation made among your people in Babylon in the days
of Jesus (Joshua) the priest, was an announcement of the things to be
accomplished by our Priest, who is God, and Christ the Son of God the
Father of all.
"Indeed, I wondered," continued I, "why a little ago you kept silence
while I was speaking, and why you did not interrupt me when I said that the
son of Nave (Nun) was the only one of contemporaries who came out of Egypt
that entered the Holy Land along with the men described as younger than
that generation. For you swarm and light on sores like flies. For though
one should speak ten thousand words well, if there happen to be one little
word displeasing to you, because not sufficiently intelligible or accurate,
you make no account of the many good words, but lay hold of the little
word, and are very zealous in setting it up as something impious and
guilty; in order that, when you are judged with the very same judgment by
God, you may have a much heavier account to render for your great
audacities, whether evil actions, or bad interpretations which you obtain
by falsifying the truth. For with what judgment you judge, it is righteous
that you be judged withal.
CHAP. CXVI.--IT IS SHOWN HOW THIS PROPHECY SUITS THE CHRISTIANS.
"But to give you the account of the revelation of the holy Jesus
Christ, I take up again my discourse, and I assert that even that
revelation was made for us who believe on Christ the High Priest, namely
this crucified One; and though we lived in fornication and all kinds of
filthy conversation, we have by the grace of our Jesus, according to His
Father's will, stripped ourselves of all those filthy wickednesses with
which we were imbued. And though the devil is ever at hand to resist us,
and anxious to seduce all to himself, yet the Angel of God, i.e., the Power
of God sent to us through Jesus Christ, rebukes him, and he departs from
us. And we are just as if drawn out from the fire, when purified from our
former sins, and [rescued] from the affliction and the fiery trial by which
the devil and all his coadjutors try us; out of which Jesus the Son of God
has promised again to deliver us,(1) and invest us with prepared garments,
if we do His commandments; and has undertaken to provide an eternal kingdom
[for us]. For just as that Jesus (Joshua), called by the prophet a priest,
evidently had on filthy garments because he is said to have taken a harlot
for a wife,(2) and is called a brand plucked out of the fire, because he
had received remission of sins when the devil that resisted him was
rebuked; even so we, who through the name of Jesus have believed as one man
in God the Maker of all, have been stripped, through the name of His first-
begotten Son, of the filthy garments, i.e., of our sins; and being
vehemently inflamed by the word of His calling, we are the true high
priestly race of God, as even God Himself bears witness, saying that in
every place among the Gentiles sacrifices are presented to Him well-
pleasing and pure. Now God receives sacrifices from no one, except through
His priests.(3)
CHAP. CXVII.--MALACHI'S PROPHECY CONCERNING THE SACRIFICES OF THE
CHRISTIANS. IT CANNOT BE TAKEN AS REFERRING TO THE PRAYERS OF JEWS OF THE
DISPERSION.
"Accordingly, God, anticipating all the sacrifices which we offer
through this name, and which Jesus the Christ enjoined us to offer, i.e.,
in the Eucharist of the bread and the cup, and which are presented by
Christians in all places throughout the world, bears witness that they are
well-pleasing to Him. But He utterly rejects those presented by you and by
those priests of yours, saying, 'And I will not accept your sacrifices at
your hands; for from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is
glorified among the Gentiles (He says); but ye profane it.'(4) Yet even
now, in your love of contention, you assert that God does not accept the
sacrifices of those who dwelt then in Jerusalem, and were called
Israelites; but says that He is pleased with the prayers of the individuals
of that nation then dispersed, and calls their prayers sacrifices. Now,
that prayers and giving of thanks, when offered by worthy men, are the only
perfect and well-pleasing sacrifices to God, I also admit. For such alone
Christians have undertaken to offer, and in the remembrance effected by
their solid and liquid food, whereby the suffering of the Son of God(5)
which He endured is brought to mind, whose name the high priests of your
nation and your teachers have caused to be profaned and blasphemed over all
the earth. But these filthy garments, which have been put by you on all who
have become Christians by the name of Jesus, God shows shall be taken away
from us, when He shall raise all men from the dead, and appoint some to be
incorruptible, immortal, and free from sorrow in the everlasting and
imperishable kingdom; but shall send others away to the everlasting
punishment of fire. But as to you and your teachers deceiving yourselves
when you interpret what the Scripture says as referring to those of your
nation then in dispersion, and maintain that their prayers and sacrifices
offered in every place are pure and well-pleasing, learn that you are
speaking falsely, and trying by all means to cheat yourselves: for, first
of all, not even now does your nation extend from the rising to the setting
of the sun, but there are nations among which none of your race ever dwelt.
For there is not one single race of men, whether barbarians, or Greeks, or
whatever they may be called, nomads, or vagrants, or herdsmen living in
tents, among whom prayers and giving of thanks are not offered through the
name of the crucified Jesus.(1) And then,(2) as the Scriptures show, at the
time when Malachi wrote this, your dispersion over all the earth, which now
exists, had not taken place.
CHAP. CXVIII.---HE EXHORTS TO REPENTANCE BEFORE CHRIST COMES; IN WHOM
CHRISTIANS, SINCE THEY BELIEVE, ARE FAR MORE RELIGIOUS THAN JEWS.
"So that you ought rather to desist from the love of strife, and repent
before the great day of judgment come, wherein all those of your tribes who
have pierced this Christ shall mourn as I have shown has been declared by
the Scriptures. And I have explained that the Lord swore, 'after the order
of Melchizedek,'(3) and what this prediction means; and the prophecy of
Isaiah which says, 'His burial is taken away from the midst,'(4) I have
already said, referred to the future burying and rising again of Christ;
and I have frequently remarked that this very Christ is the Judge of all
the living and the dead. And Nathan likewise, speaking to David about Him,
thus continued: 'I will be His Father, and He shall be my Son; and my mercy
shall I not take away from Him, as I did from them that went before Him;
and I will establish Him in my house, and in His kingdom for ever.'(5) And
Ezekiel says, 'There shall be no other prince in the house but He.'(6) For
He is the chosen Priest and eternal King, the Christ, inasmuch as He is the
Son of God; and do not suppose that Isaiah or the other prophets speak of
sacrifices of blood or libations being presented at the altar on His second
advent, but of true and spiritual praises and giving of thanks. And we have
not in vain believed in Him, and have not been led astray by those who
taught us such doctrines; but this has come to pass through the wonderful
foreknowledge of God, in order that we, through the calling of the new and
eternal covenant, that is, of Christ, might be found more intelligent and
God-fearing than yourselves, who are considered to be lovers of God and men
of understanding, but are not. Isaiah, filled with admiration of this,
said: 'And kings shall shut their mouths: for those to whom no announcement
has been made in regard to Him(7) shall see; and those who heard not shall
understand. Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of
the Lord revealed?'(8)
"And in repeating this,(9) Trypho," I continued, "as far as is
allowable, I endeavour to do so for the sake of those who came with you to-
day, yet briefly and concisely."
Then he replied, "You do well; and though you repeat the same things at
considerable length, be assured that I and my companions listen with
pleasure ."
CHAP. CXIX.--CHRISTIANS ARE THE HOLY PEOPLE PROMISED TO ABRAHAM. THEY HAVE
BEEN CALLED LIKE ABRAHAM.
Then I said again, "Would you suppose, sirs, that we could ever have
understood these matters in the Scriptures, if we had not received grace to
discern by the will of Him whose pleasure it was? in order that the saying
of Moses(10) might come to pass, 'They provoked me with strange [gods],
they provoked me to anger with their abominations. They sacrificed to
demons whom they knew not; new gods that came newly up, whom their fathers
knew not. Thou hast forsaken God that begat thee, and forgotten God that
brought thee up. And the Lord saw, and was jealous, and was provoked to
anger by reason of the rage of His sons and daughters: and He said, I will
turn My face away from them, and I will show what shall come on them at the
last; for it is a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.
They have moved Me to jealousy with that which is not God, they have
provoked Me to anger with their idols; and I will move them to jealousy
with that which is not a nation, I will provoke them to anger with a
foolish people. For a fire is kindled from Mine anger, and it shall burn to
Hades. It shall consume the earth and her increase, and set on fire the
foundations of the mountains; I will heap mischief on them.'(11) And after
that Righteous One was put to death, we flourished as another people, and
shot forth as new and prosperous corn; as the prophets said, 'And many
nations shall betake themselves to the Lord in that day for a people: and
they shall dwell in the midst of all the earth.'(12) But we are not only a
people, but also a holy people, as we have shown already.(1) 'And they
shall call them the holy people, redeemed by the Lord.'(2) Therefore we are
not a people to be despised, nor a barbarous race, nor such as the Carian
and Phrygian nations; but God has even chosen us and He has become manifest
to those who asked not after Him. 'Behold, I am God,' He says, 'to the
nation which called not on My name.'(3) For this is that nation which God
of old promised to Abraham, when He declared that He would make him a
father of many nations; not meaning, however, the Arabians, or Egyptians,
or Idumaeans, since Ishmael became the father of a mighty nation, and so
did Esau; and there is now a great multitude of Ammonites. Noah, moreover,
was the father of Abraham, and in fact of all men; and others were the
progenitors of others. What larger measure of grace, then, did Christ
bestow on Abraham? This, namely, that He called him with His voice by the
like calling, telling him to quit the land wherein he dwelt. And He has
called all of us by that voice, and we have left already the way of living
in which we used to spend our days, passing our time in evil after the
fashions of the other inhabitants of the earth; and along with Abraham we
shall inherit the holy land, when we shall receive the inheritance for an
endless eternity, being children of Abraham through the like faith. For as
he believed the voice of God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness,
in like manner we having believed God's voice spoken by the apostles of
Christ, and promulgated to us by the prophets, have renounced even to death
all the things of the world. Accordingly, He promises to him a nation of
similar faith, God-fearing, righteous, and delighting the Father; but it is
not you, 'in whom is no faith.'
CHAP. CXX. -- CHRISTIANS WERE PROMISED TO ISAAC, JACOB, AND JUDAH.
"Observe, too, how the same promises are made to Isaac and to Jacob.
For thus He speaks to Isaac: 'And in thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed.'(4) And to Jacob: 'And in thee and in thy seed shall all
families of the earth be blessed.'(5) He says that neither to Esau nor to
Reuben, nor to any other; only to those of whom the Christ should arise,
according to the dispensation, through the Virgin Mary. But if you would
consider the blessing of Judah, you would perceive what I say. For the seed
is divided from Jacob, and comes down through Judah, and Phares, and Jesse,
and David. And this was a symbol of the fact that some of your nation would
be found children of Abraham, and found, too, in the lot of Christ; but
that others, who are indeed children of Abraham, would be like the sand on
the sea-shore, barren and fruitless, much in quantity, and without number
indeed, but bearing no fruit whatever, and only drinking the water of the
sea. And a vast multitude in your nation are convicted of being of this
kind, imbibing doctrines of bitterness and godlessness, but spurning the
word of God. He speaks therefore in the passage relating to Judah: 'A
prince shall not fail from Judah, nor a ruler from his thighs, till that
which is laid up for him come; and He shall be the expectation of the
nations.'(6) And it is plain that this was spoken not of Judah, but of
Christ. For all we out of all nations do expect not Judah, but Jesus, who
led your fathers out of Egypt. For the prophecy referred even to the advent
of Christ: 'Till He come for whom this is laid up, and He shall be the
expectation of nations.' Jesus came, therefore, as we have shown at length,
and is expected again to appear above the clouds; whose name you profane,
and labour hard to get it profaned over all the earth. It were possible for
me, sirs," I continued, "to contend against you about the reading which you
so interpret, saying it is written, 'Till the things laid up for Him come;'
though the Seventy have not so explained it, but thus, 'Till He comes for
whom this is laid up.' But since what follows indicates that the reference
is to Christ (for it is, 'and He shall be the expectation of nations'), I
do not proceed to have a mere verbal controversy with you, as I have not
attempted to establish proof about Christ from the passages of Scripture
which are not admitted by you? which I quoted from the words of Jeremiah
the prophet, and Esdras, and David; but from those which are even now
admitted by you, which had your teachers comprehended, be well assured they
would have deleted them, as they did those about the death of Isaiah, whom
you sawed asunder with a wooden saw. And this was a mysterious type of
Christ being about to cut your nation in two, and to raise those worthy of
the honour to the everlasting kingdom along with the holy patriarchs and
prophets; but He has said that He will send others to the condemnation of
the unquenchable fire along with similar disobedient and impenitent men
from all the nations. 'For they shall come,' He said, 'from the west and
from the east, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the
kingdom of heaven; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into
outer darkness.'(8) And I have mentioned these things, taking nothing
whatever into consideration, except the speaking of the truth, and refusing
to be coerced by any one, even though I should be forthwith torn in pieces
by you. For I gave no thought to any of my people, that is, the Samaritans,
when I had a communication in writing with Caesar,(1) but stated that they
were wrong in trusting to the magician Simon of their own nation, who, they
say, is God above all power, and authority, and might."
CHAP. CXXI.--FROM THE FACT THAT THE GENTILES BELIEVE LN JESUS, IT IS
EVIDENT THAT HE IS CHRIST.
And as they kept silence, I went on: "[The Scripture], speaking by
David about this Christ, my friends, said no longer that 'in His seed' the
nations should be blessed, but 'in Him.' So it is here: 'His name shall
rise up for ever above the sun; and in Him shall all nations be
blessed.'(2) But if all nations are blessed in Christ, and we of all
nations believe in Him, then He is indeed the Christ, and we are those
blessed by Him. God formerly gave the sun as an object of worship,(3) as it
is written, but no one ever was seen to endure death on account of his
faith in the sun; but for the name of Jesus you may see men of every nation
who have endured and do endure all sufferings, rather than deny Him. For
the word of His truth and wisdom is more ardent and more light-giving than
the rays of the sun, and sinks down into the depths of heart and mind.
Hence also the Scripture said, 'His name shall rise up above the sun.' And
again, Zechariah says, 'His name is the East.'(4) And speaking of the same,
he says that 'each tribe shall mourn.'(5) But if He so shone forth and was
so mighty in His first advent (which was without honour and comeliness, and
very contemptible), that in no nation He is unknown, and everywhere men
have repented of the old wickedness in each nation's way of living, so that
even demons were subject to His name, and all powers and kingdoms feared
His name more than they feared all the dead, shall He not on His glorious
advent destroy by all means all those who hated Him, and who unrighteously
departed from Him, but give rest to His own, rewarding them with all they
have looked for? To us, therefore, it has been granted to hear, and to
understand, and to be saved by this Christ, and to recognise all the
[truths revealed] by the Father. Wherefore He said to Him: 'It is a great
thing for Thee to be called my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and turn again the dispersed of Israel. I have appointed Thee for a light
to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be their salvation unto the end of the
earth.'(6)
CHAP.CXXII.--THE JEWS UNDERSTAND THIS OF THE PROSELYTES WITHOUT REASON.
"You think that these words refer to the stranger(7) and the
proselytes, but in fact they refer to us who have been illumined by Jesus.
For Christ would have borne witness even to them; but now you are become
twofold more the children of hell, as He said Himself.(8) Therefore what
was written by the prophets was spoken not of those persons, but of us,
concerning whom the Scripture speaks: 'I will lead the blind by a way which
they knew not; and they shall walk in paths which they have not known. And
I am witness, saith the Lord God, and my servant whom I have chosen.'(9) To
whom, then, does Christ bear witness? Manifestly to those who have
believed. But the proselytes not only do not believe, but twofold more than
yourselves blaspheme His name, and wish to torture and put to death us who
believe in Him; for in all points they strive to be like you. And again in
other words He cries: 'I the Lord have called Thee in righteousness, and
will hold Thine hand, and will strengthen Thee, and will give Thee for a
covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles, to open the eyes of
the blind, to bring out the prisoners from their bonds.'(10) These words,
indeed, sirs, refer also to Christ, and concern the enlightened nations; or
will you say again, He speaks to them of the law and the proselytes?"
Then some of those who had come on the second day cried out as if they
had been in a theatre, "But what? does He not refer to the law, and to
those illumined by it? Now these are proselytes."
"No," I said, looking towards Trypho, "since, if the law were able to
enlighten the nations and those who possess it, what need is there of a new
covenant? But since God announced beforehand that He would send a new
covenant, and an everlasting law and commandment, we will not understand
this of the old law and its proselytes, but of Christ and His proselytes,
namely us Gentiles, whom He has illumined, as He says somewhere: 'Thus
saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard Thee, and in a day of
salvation have I helped Thee, and I have given Thee for a covenant of the
people, to establish the earth, and to inherit the deserted.'(11) What,
then, is Christ's inheritance? Is it not the nations? What is the covenant
of God? Is it not Christ? As He says in another place: 'Thou art my Son;
this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the nations
for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy
possession.'(1)
CHAP. CXXIII.--RIDICULOUS INTERPRETATIONS OF THE JEWS. CHRISTIANS ARE THE
TRUE ISRAEL.
"As, therefore, all these latter prophecies refer to Christ and the
nations, you should believe that the former refer to Him and them in like
manner. For the proselytes have no need of a covenant, if, since there is
one and the same law imposed on all that are circumcised, the Scripture
speaks about them thus: 'And the stranger shall also be joined with them,
and shall be joined to the house of Jacob;'(2) and because the proselyte,
who is circumcised that he may have access to the people, becomes like one
of themselves,(3) while we who have been deemed worthy to be called a
people are yet Gentiles, because we have not been circumcised. Besides, it
is ridiculous for you to imagine that the eyes of the proselytes are to be
opened while your own are not, and that you be understood as blind and deaf
while they are enlightened. And it will be still more ridiculous for you,
if you say that the law has been given to the nations, but you have not
known it. For you would have stood in awe of God's wrath, and would not
have been lawless, wandering sons; being much afraid of hearing God always
say, 'Children in whom is no faith. And who are blind, but my servants? and
deaf, but they that rule over them? And the servants of God have been made
blind. You see often, but have not observed; your ears have been opened,
and you have not heard.'(4) Is God's commendation of you honourable? and
is God's testimony seemly for His servants? You are not ashamed though you
often hear these words. You do not tremble at God's threats, for you are a
people foolish and hard-hearted. 'Therefore, behold, I will proceed to
remove this people,' saith the Lord;' and I will remove them, and destroy
the wisdom of the wise, and hide the understanding of the prudent.'(5)
Deservedly too: for you are neither wise nor prudent, but crafty and
unscrupulous; wise only to do evil, but utterly incompetent to know the
hidden counsel of God, or the faithful covenant of the Lord, or to find out
the everlasting paths. 'Therefore, saith the Lord, I will raise up to
Israel and to Judah the seed of men and the seed of beasts.'(6) And by
Isaiah He speaks thus concerning another Israel: 'In that day shall there
be a third Israel among the Assyrians and the Egyptians, blessed in the
land which the Lord of Sabaoth hath blessed, saying, blessed shall my
people in Egypt and in Assyria be, and Israel mine inheritance.'(7) Since
then God blesses this people, and calls them Israel, and declares them to
be His inheritance, how is it that you repent not of the deception you
practise on yourselves, as if you alone were the Israel, and of execrating
the people whom God has blessed? For when He speaks to Jerusalem and its
environs, He thus added: 'And I will beget men upon you, even my people
Israel; and they shall inherit you, and you shall be a possession for them;
and you shall be no longer bereaved of them.'"(8)
"What, then?" says Trypho; "are you Israel? and speaks He such things
of you?"
"If, indeed," I replied to him, "we had not entered into a lengthy(9)
discussion on these topics, I might have doubted whether you ask this
question in ignorance; but since we have brought the matter to a conclusion
by demonstration and with your assent, I do not believe that you are
ignorant of what I have just said, or desire again mere contention, but
that you are urging me to exhibit the same proof to these men." And in
compliance with the assent expressed in his eyes, I continued: "Again in
Isaiah, if you have ears to hear it, God, speaking of Christ in parable,
calls Him Jacob and Israel. He speaks thus: 'Jacob is my servant, I will
uphold Him; Israel is mine elect, I will put my Spirit upon Him, and He
shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry,
neither shall any one hear His voice in the street: a bruised reed He shall
not break, and smoking flax He shall not quench; but He shall bring forth
judgment to truth: He shall shine,(10) and shall not be broken till He have
set judgment on the earth. And in His name shall the Gentiles trust.'(11)
As therefore from the one man Jacob, who was surnamed Israel, all your
nation has been called Jacob and Israel; so we from Christ, who begat us
unto God, like Jacob, and Israel, and Judah, and Joseph, and David, are
called and are the true sons of God, and keep the commandments of Christ."
CHAP. CXXIV.--CHRISTIANS ARE THE SONS OF GOD.
And when I saw that they were perturbed because I said that we are the
sons of God, I anticipated their questioning, and said, "Listen, sirs, how
the Holy Ghost speaks of this people, saying that they are all sons of the
Highest; and how this very Christ will be present in their assembly,
rendering judgment to all men. The words are spoken by David, and are,
according to your version of them, thus: 'God standeth in the congregation
of gods; He judgeth among the gods. How long do ye judge unjustly, and
accept the persons of the wicked? Judge for the orphan and the poor, and do
justice to the humble and needy. Deliver the needy, and save the poor out
of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither have they understood;
they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth shall be shaken.
I said, Ye are gods, and are all children of the Most High. But ye die like
men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God! judge the earth, for
Thou shalt inherit all nations.'(1) But in the version of the Seventy it is
written, 'Behold, ye die like men, and fall like one of the princes,(2) in
order to manifest the disobedience of men,--I mean of Adam and Eve,--and
the fall of one of the princes, i.e., of him who was called the serpent,
who fell with a great overthrow, because he deceived Eve. But as my
discourse is not intended to touch on this point, but to prove to you that
the Holy Ghost reproaches men because they were made like God, free from
suffering and death, provided that they kept His commandments, and were
deemed deserving of the name of His sons, and yet they, becoming like Adam
and Eve, work out death for themselves; let the interpretation of the Psalm
be held just as you wish, yet thereby it is demonstrated that all men are
deemed worthy of becoming "gods," and of having power to become sons of the
Highest; and shall be each by himself judged and condemned like Adam and
Eve. Now I have proved at length that Christ is called God.
CHAP. CXXV.--HE EXPLAINS WHAT FORCE THE WORD ISRAEL HAS, AND HOW IT SUITS
CHRIST.
"I wish, sirs," I said, "to learn from you what is the force of the
name Israel." And as they were silent, I continued: "I shall tell you what
I know: for I do not think it fight, when I know, not to speak; or,
suspecting that you do know, and yet from envy or from voluntary ignorance
deceive yourselves,(3) to be continually solicitous; but I speak all things
simply and candidly, as my Lord said: 'A sower went forth to sow the seed;
and some fell by the wayside; and some among thorns, and some on stony
ground, and some on good ground.'(4) I must speak, then, in the hope of
finding good ground somewhere; since that Lord of mine, as One strong and
powerful, comes to demand back His own from all, land will not condemn His
steward if He recognises that he, by the knowledge that the Lord is
powerful and has come to demand His own, has given it to every bank, and
has not digged for any cause whatsoever. Accordingly the name Israel
signifies this, A man who overcomes power; for Isra is a man overcoming,
and El is power.(5) And that Christ would act so when He became man was
foretold by the mystery of Jacob's wrestling with Him who appeared to him,
in that He ministered to the will of the Father, yet nevertheless is God,
in that He is the first-begotten of all creatures. For when He became man,
as I previously remarked, the devil came to Him--i.e., that power which is
called the serpent and Sa-tan--tempting Him, and striving to effect His
downfall by asking Him to worship him. But He destroyed and overthrew the
devil, having proved him to be wicked, in that he asked to be worshipper as
God, contrary to the Scripture; who is an apostate from the will of God.
For He answers him, 'It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and Him only shall thou serve.'(6) Then, overcome and convicted, the devil
departed at that time. But since our Christ was to be numbed, i.e., by pain
and experience of suffering, He made a previous intimation of this by
touching Jacob's thigh, and causing it to shrink. But Israel was His name
from the beginning, to which He altered the name of the blessed Jacob when
He blessed him with His own name, proclaiming thereby that all who through
Him have fled for refuge to the Father, constitute the blessed Israel. But
you, having understood none of this, and not being prepared to understand,
since you are the children of Jacob after the fleshly seed, expect that you
shall be assuredly saved. But that you deceive yourselves in such matters,
I have proved by many words.
CHAP. CXXVI.--THE VARIOUS NAMES OF CHRIST ACCORDING TO BOTH NATURES. IT IS
SHOWN THAT HE IS GOD, AND APPEARED TO THE PATRIARCHS.
"But if you knew, Trypho," continued I, "who He is that is called at
one time the Angel of great counsel,(7) and a Man by Ezekiel, and like the
Son of man by Daniel, and a Child by Isaiah, and Christ and God to be
worshipped by David, and Christ and a Stone by many, and Wisdom by Solomon,
and Joseph and Judah and a Star by Moses, and the East by Zechariah, and
the Suffering One and Jacob and Israel by Isaiah again, and a Rod, and
Flower, and Corner-Stone, and Son of God, you would not have blasphemer Him
who has now come, and been born, and suffered, and ascended to heaven; who
shall also come again, and then your twelve tribes shall mourn. For if you
had understood what has been written by the prophets, you would not have
denied that He was God, Son of the only, unbegotten, unutterable God. For
Moses says somewhere in Exodus the following: 'The Lord spoke to Moses, and
said to him, I am the Lord, and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to
Jacob, being their God; and my name I revealed not to them, and I
established my covenant with them.'(1) And thus again he says, 'A man
wrestled with Jacob,'(2) and asserts it was God; narrating that Jacob said,
'I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.' And it is
recorded that he called the place where He wrestled with him, appeared to
and blessed him, the Face of God (Peniel). And Moses says that God
appeared also to Abraham near the oak in Mature, when he was sitting at the
door of his tent at mid-day. Then he goes on to say: 'And he lifted up his
eyes and looked, and, behold, three men stood before him; and when he saw
them, he ran to meet them.'(3) a After a little, one of them promises a son
to Abraham: 'Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall. I of a surety bear a
child, and I am old? Is anything impossible with God? At the time appointed
I will return, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
And they went away from Abraham.'(4) Again he speaks of them thus: 'And the
men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom.'(5) Then to Abraham He
who was and is again speaks: 'I will not hide from Abraham, my servant,
what I intend to do.'"(6) And what follows in the writings of Moses I
quoted and explained; "from which I have demonstrated," I said, "that He
who is described as God appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and
the other patriarchs, was appointed under the authority of the Father and
Lord, and ministers to His will." Then I went on to say what I had not said
before: "And so, when the people desired to eat flesh, and Moses had lost
faith in Him, who also there is called the Angel, and who promised that God
would give them to satiety, He who is both God and the Angel, sent by the
Father, is described as saying and doing these things. For thus the
Scripture says: 'And the Lord said to Moses Will the Lord's hand not be
sufficient? thou shall know now whether my word shall conceal thee or
not.'(7) And again, in other words, it thus says: 'But the Lord spoke unto
me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan: the Lord thy God, who goeth before
thy face, He shall cut off the nations.'(8)
CHAP. CXXVII.--THESE PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE DO NOT APPLY TO THE FATHER, BUT
TO THE WORD.
"These and other such sayings are recorded by the lawgiver and by the
prophets; and I suppose that I have stated sufficiently, that wherever(9)
God says, 'God went up from Abraham,'(10) or, 'The Lord spake to
Moses,'(11) and 'The Lord came down to behold the tower which the sons of
men had built,'(12) or when 'God shut Noah into the ark,'(13) you must not
imagine that the unbegotten God Himself came down or went up from any
place. For the ineffable Father and Lord of all neither has come to any
place, nor walks, nor sleeps, nor rises up, but remains in His own place,
wherever that is, quick to behold and quick to hear, having neither eyes
nor ears, but being of indescribable might; and He sees all things, and
knows all things, and none of us escapes His observation; and He is not
moved or confined to a spot in the whole world, for He existed before the
world was made. How, then, could He talk with any one, or be seen by any
one, or appear on the smallest portion of the earth, when the people at
Sinai were not able to look even on the glory of Him who was sent from Him;
and Moses himself could not enter into the tabernacle which he had erected,
when it was filled with the glory of God; and the priest could not endure
to stand before the temple when Solomon conveyed the ark into the house in
Jerusalem which he had built for it? Therefore neither Abraham, nor Isaac,
nor Jacob, nor any other man, saw the Father and ineffable Lord of all, and
also of Christ, but [saw] Him who was according to His will His Son, being
God, and the Angel because He ministered to His will; whom also it pleased
Him to be born man by the Virgin; who also was fire when He conversed with
Moses from the bush. Since, unless we thus comprehend the Scriptures, it
must follow that the Father and Lord of all had not been in heaven when
what Moses wrote took place: 'And the Lord rained upon Sodom fire and
brimstone from the Lord out of heaven;'(14) and again, when it is thus said
by David: 'Lift up your gates, ye rulers; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting
gates; and the King of glory shall enter;'(15) and again, when He says:
'The Lord says to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, till I make Thine enemies
Thy footstool.'(16)
CHAP. CXXVIII.--THE WORD IS SENT NOT AS AN INANIMATE POWER, BUT AS A PERSON
BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER'S SUBSTANCE.
"And that Christ being Lord, and God the Son of God, and appearing
formerly in power as Man, and Angel, and in the glory of fire as at the
bush, so also was manifested at the judgment executed on Sodom, has been
demonstrated fully by what has been said." Then I repeated once more all
that I had previously quoted from Exodus, about the vision in the bush, and
the naming of Joshua (Jesus), and continued: "And do not suppose, sirs,
that I am speaking superfluously when I repeat these words frequently: but
it is because I know that some wish to anticipate these remarks, and to say
that the power sent from the Father of all which appeared to Moses, or to
Abraham, or to Jacob, is called an Angel because He came to men (for by Him
the commands of the Father have been proclaimed to men); is called Glory,
because He appears in a vision sometimes that cannot be borne; is called a
Man, and a human being, because He appears strayed in such forms as the
Father pleases; and they call Him the Word, because He carries tidings from
the Father to men: but maintain that this power is indivisible and
inseparable from the Father, just as they say that the light of the sun on
earth is indivisible and inseparable from the sun in the heavens; as when
it sinks, the light sinks along with it; so the Father, when He chooses,
say they, causes His power to spring forth, and when He chooses, He makes
it return to Himself. In this way, they teach, He made the angels. But it
is proved that there are angels who always exist, and are never reduced to
that form out of which they sprang. And that this power which the prophetic
word calls God, as has been also amply demonstrated, and Angel, is not
numbered [as different] in name only like the light of the sun but is
indeed something numerically distinct, I have discussed briefly in what has
gone before; when I asserted that this power was begotten from the Father,
by His power and will, but not by abscission, as if the essence of the
Father were divided; as all other things partitioned and divided are not
the same after as before they were divided: and, for the sake of example, I
took the case of fires kindled from a fire, which we see to be distinct
from it, and yet that from which many can be kindled is by no means made
less, but remains the same.
CHAP. CXXIX.--THAT IS CONFIRMED FROM OTHER PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE.
"And now I shall again recite the words which I have spoken in proof of
this point. When Scripture says,' The Lord rained fire from the Lord out of
heaven,' the prophetic word indicates that there were two in number: One
upon the earth, who, it says, descended to behold the cry of Sodom; Another
in heaven, who also is Lord of the Lord on earth, as He is Father and God;
the cause of His power and of His being Lord and God. Again, when the
Scripture records that God said in the beginning, 'Behold, Adam has become
like one of Us,'(1) this phrase, 'like one of Us,' is also indicative of
number; and the words do not admit of a figurative meaning, as the sophists
endeavour to affix on them, who are able neither to tell nor to understand
the truth. And it is written in the book of Wisdom: 'If I should tell you
daily events, I would be mindful to enumerate them from the beginning. The
Lord created me the beginning of His ways for His works. From everlasting
He established me in the beginning, before He formed the earth, and before
He made the depths, and before the springs of waters came forth, before the
mountains were settled; He begets me before all the hills.'"(2) When I
repeated these words, I added: "You perceive, my hearers, if you bestow
attention, that the Scripture has declared that this Offspring was begotten
by the Father before all things created; and that which is begotten is
numerically distinct from that which begets, any one will admit."
CHAP. CXXX.--HE RETURNS TO THE CONVERSION OF THE GENTILES, AND SHOWS THAT
IT WAS FORETOLD.
And when all had given assent, I said: "I would now adduce some
passages which I had not recounted before. They are recorded by the
faithful servant Moses in parable, and are as follows: 'Rejoice, O ye
heavens, with Him, and let all the angels of God worship Him;'"(3) and I
added what follows of the passage: "'Rejoice, O ye nations, with His
people, and let all the angels of God be strengthened in Him: for the blood
of His sons He avenges, and will avenge, and will recompense His enemies
with vengeance, and will recompense those that hate Him; and the Lord will
purify the land of His people.' And by these words He declares that we, the
nations, rejoice with His people,--to wit, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob,
and the prophets, and, in short, all of that people who are well-pleasing
to God, according to what has been already agreed on between us. But we
will not receive it of all your nation; since we know from Isaiah(4) that
the members of those who have transgressed shall be consumed by the worm
and unquenchable fire, remaining immortal; so that they become a spectacle
to all flesh. But in addition to these, I wish, sin," said I, "to add some
other passages from the very words of Moses, from which you may understand
that God has from of old dispersed all men according to their kindreds and
tongues; and out of all kindreds has taken to Himself your kindred, a
useless, disobedient, and faithless generation; and has shown that those
who were selected out of every nation have obeyed His will through Christ,-
-whom He calls also Jacob, and names Israel,--and these, then, as I
mentioned fully previously, must be Jacob and Israel. For when He says,
'Rejoice, O ye nations, with His people,' He allots the same inheritance to
them, and does not call them by the same name;(1) but when He says that
they as Gentiles rejoice with His people, He calls them Gentiles to
reproach you. For even as you provoked Him to anger by your idolatry, so
also He has deemed those who were idolaters worthy of knowing His will, and
of inheriting His inheritance.
CHAP. CXXXI.--HOW MUCH MORE FAITHFUL TO GOD THE GENTILES ARE WHO ARE
CONVERTED TO CHRIST THAN THE JEWS.
"But I shall quote the passage by which it is made known that God
divided all the nations. It is as follows: 'Ask thy father, and he will
show thee; thine eiders, and they will tell thee; when the Most High
divided the nations, as He dispersed the sons of Adam. He set the bounds of
the nations according to the numbers of the children of Israel; and the
Lord's portion became His people Jacob, and Israel was the lot of His
inheritance.'"(2) And having said this, I added: "The Seventy have
translated it, 'He set the bounds of the nations according to the number of
the angels of God.' But because my argument is again in nowise weakened by
this, I have adopted your exposition. And you yourselves, if you will
confess the truth, must acknowledge that we, who have been called by God
through the despised and shameful mystery of the cross (for the confession
of which, and obedience to which, and for our piety, punishments even to
death have been inflicted on us by demons, and by the host of the devil,
through the aid ministered to them by you), and endure all torments rather
than deny Christ even by word, through whom we are called to the salvation
prepared beforehand by the Father, are more faithful to God than you, who
were redeemed from Egypt with a high hand and a visitation of great glory,
when the sea was parted for you, and a passage left dry, in which [God]
slew those @ho pursued you with a very great equipment, and splendid
chariots, bringing back upon them the sea which had been made a way for
your sakes; on whom also a pillar of light shone, in order that you, more
than any other nation in the world, might possess a peculiar light, never-
failing and never-setting; for whom He rained manna as nourishment, fit for
the heavenly angels, in order that you might have no need to prepare your
food; and the water at Marah was made sweet; and a sign of Him that was to
be crucified was made, both in the matter of the serpents which bit you, as
I already mentioned (God anticipating before the proper times these
mysteries, in order to confer grace upon you, to whom you are always
convicted of being thankless), as well as in the type of the extending of
the hands of Moses, and of Oshea being named Jesus (Joshua); when you
fought against Amalek: concerning which God enjoined that the incident be
recorded, and the name of Jesus laid up in your understandings; saying that
this is He who would blot out the memorial of Amalek from under heaven. Now
it is clear that the memorial of Amalek remained after the son of Nave
(Nun): but He makes it manifest through Jesus, who was crucified, of whom
also those symbols were fore-announcements of all that would happen to Him,
the demons would be destroyed, and would dread His name, and that all
principalities and kingdoms would fear Him; and that they who believe in
Him out of all nations would be shown as God-fearing and peaceful men; and
the facts already quoted by me, Trypho, indicate this. Again, when you
desired flesh, so vast a quantity of quails was given you, that they could
not be told; for whom also water gushed from the rock; and a cloud followed
you for a shade from heat, and covering from cold, declaring the manner and
signification of another and new heaven; the latchets of your shoes did not
break, and your shoes waxed not old, and your garments wore not away, but
even those of the children grew along with them.
CHAP. CXXXII.--HOW GREAT THE POWER WAS OF THE NAME OF JESUS IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT.
"Yet after this you made a calf, and were very zealous in committing
fornication with the daughters of strangers, and in serving idols. And
again, when the land was given up to you with so great a display of power,
that you witnessed(3) the sun stand still in the heavens by the order of
that man whose name was Jesus (Joshua), and not go down for thirty-six
hours, as well as all the other miracles which were wrought for you as time
served;(1) and of these it seems good to me now to speak of another, for it
conduces to your hereby knowing Jesus, whom we also know to have been
Christ the Son of God, who was crucified, and rose again, and ascended to
heaven, and will come again to judge all men, even up to Adam himself. You
are aware, then," I continued, "that when the ark of the testimony was
seized by the enemies of Ashdod,(2) and a terrible and incurable malady had
broken out among them, they resolved to place it on a cart to which they
yoked cows that had recently calved, for the purpose of ascertaining by
trial whether or not they had been plagued by God's power on account of the
ark, and if God wished it to be taken back to the place from which it had
been carried away. And when they had done this, the cows, led by no man,
went not to the place whence the ark had been taken, but to the fields of a
certain man whose name was Oshea, the same as his whose name was altered to
Jesus (Joshua), as has been previously mentioned, who also led the people
into the land and meted it out to them: and when the cows had come into
these fields they remained there, showing to you thereby that they were
guided by the name of power;(3) just as formerly the people who survived of
those that came out of Egypt, were guided into the land by him who had
received the name Jesus (Joshua), who before was called Oshea.
CHAP. CXXXIII.--THE HARD-HEARTEDNESS OF THE JEWS, FOR WHOM THE CHRISTIANS
PRAY.
"Now, although these and all other such unexpected and marvellous works
were wrought amongst and seen by you at different times, yet you are
convicted by the prophets of having gone to such a length as offering your
own children to demons; and besides all this, of having dared to do such
things against Christ; and you still dare to do them: for all which may it
be granted to you to obtain mercy and salvation from God and His Christ.
For God, knowing before that you would do such things, pronounced this
curse upon you by the prophet Isaiah: 'Woe unto their soul! they have
devised evil counsel against themselves, saying, Let us bind the righteous
man, for he is distasteful to us. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of
their own doings. Woe to the wicked! evil, according to the works of his
hands, shall befall him. O my people, your exactors glean you, and those
who extort from you shall rule over you. O my people, they who call you
blessed cause you to err, and disorder the way of your paths. But now the
Lord shall sist His people to judgment, and He shall enter into judgment
with the elders of the people and the princes thereof. But why have you
burnt up my vineyard? and why is the spoil of the poor found in your
houses? Why do you wrong my people, and put to shame the countenance of the
humble?'(4) Again, in other words, the same prophet spake to the same
effect: 'Woe unto them that draw their iniquity as with a long cord, and
their transgressions as with the harness of an heifer's yoke: who say, Let
His speed come near, and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come,
that we may know it. Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil! that
put light for darkness, and darkness for light! that put bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and
prudent in their own sight! Woe unto those that are mighty among you, who
drink wine, who are men of strength, who mingle strong drink! who justify
the wicked for a reward, and take away justice from the righteous!
Therefore, as the stubble shall be burnt by the coal of fire, and utterly
consumed by the burning flame, their root shall be as wool, and their
flower shall go up like dust. For they would not have the law of the Lord
of Sabaoth, but despised(5) the word of the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
And the Lord of Sabaoth was very angry, and laid His hands upon them, and
smote them; and He was provoked against the mountains, and their carcases
were in the midst like dung on the road. And for all this they have not
repented,(6) but their hand is still high.'(7) For verily your hand is high
to commit evil, because ye slew the Christ, and do not repent of it; but so
far from that, ye hate and murder us who have believed through Him in the
God and Father of all, as often as ye can; and ye curse Him without
ceasing, as well as those who side with Him; while all of us pray for you,
and for all men, as our Christ and Lord taught us to do, when He enjoined
us to pray even for our enemies, and to love them that hate us, and to
bless them that curse us.
CHAP. CXXXIV.--THE MARRIAGES OF JACOB ARE A FIGURE OF THE CHURCH.
"If, then, the teaching of the prophets and of Himself moves you, it is
better for you to follow God than your imprudent and blind masters, who
even till this time permit each man to have four or five wives; and if any
one see a beautiful woman and desire to have her, they quote the doings of
Jacob [called] Israel, and of the other patriarchs, and maintain that it is
not wrong to do such things; for they are miserably ignorant in this
matter. For, as I before said, certain dispensations of weighty mysteries
were accomplished in each act of this sort. For in the marriages of Jacob I
shall mention what dispensation and prophecy were accomplished, in order
that you may thereby know that your teachers never looked at the divine
motive which prompted each act, but only at the grovelling and corrupting
passions. Attend therefore to what I say. The marriages of Jacob were types
of that which Christ was about to accomplish. For it was not lawful for
Jacob to marry two sisters at once. And he serves Laban for [one of] the
daughters; and being deceived in [the obtaining of] the younger, he again
served seven years. Now Leah is your people and synagogue; but Rachel is
our Church. And for these, and for the servants in both, Christ even now
serves. For while Noah gave to the two sons the seed of the third as
servants, now on the other hand Christ has come to restore both the free
sons and the servants amongst them, conferring the same honour on all of
them who keep His commandments; even as the children of the free women and
the children of the bond women born to Jacob were all sons, and equal in
dignity. And it was foretold what each should be according to rank and
according to fore-knowledge. Jacob served Laban for speckled and many-
spotted sheep; and Christ served, even to the slavery of the cross, for the
various and many-formed races of mankind, acquiring them by the blood and
mystery of the cross. Leah was weak-eyed; for the eyes of your souls are
excessively weak. Rachel stole the gods of Laban, and has hid them to this
day; and we have lost our paternal and material gods. Jacob was hated for
all time by his brother; and we now, and our Lord Himself, are hated by you
and by all men, though we are brothers by nature. Jacob was called Israel;
and Israel has been demonstrated to be the Christ, who is, and is called,
Jesus.
CHAP. CXXXV.--CHRIST IS KING OF ISRAEL, AND CHRISTIANS ARE THE ISRAELITIC
RACE.
"And when Scripture says, 'I am the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
who have made known Israel your King,'(1) will you not understand that
truly Christ is the everlasting King? For you are aware that Jacob the son
of Isaac was never a king. And therefore Scripture again, explaining to us,
says what king is meant by Jacob and Israel: 'Jacob is my Servant, I will
uphold Him; and Israel is mine Elect, my soul shall receive Him. I have
given Him my Spirit; and He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He
shall not cry, and His voice shall not be heard without. The bruised reed
He shall not break, and the smoking flax He shall not quench, until He
shall bring forth judgment to victory. He shall shine, and shall not be
broken, until He set judgment on the earth. And in His name shall the
Gentiles trust.'(2) Then is it Jacob the patriarch in whom the Gentiles and
yourselves shall trust? or is it not Christ? As, therefore, Christ is the
Israel and the Jacob, even so we, who have been quarried out from the
bowels of Christ, are the true Israelitic race. But let us attend rather to
the very word: 'And I will bring forth,' He says, 'the seed out of Jacob,
and out of Judah: and it shall inherit My holy mountain; and Mine Elect and
My servants shall possess the inheritance, and shall dwell there; and there
shall be folds of flocks in the thicket, and the valley of Achor shall be a
resting-place of cattle for the people who have sought Me. But as for you,
who forsake Me, and forget My holy mountain, and prepare a table for
demons, and fill out drink for the demon, I shall give you to the sword.
You shall all fall with a slaughter; for I called you, and you hearkened
not, and did evil before me, and did choose that wherein I delighted
not.'(3) Such are the words of Scripture; understand, therefore, that the
seed of Jacob now referred to is something else, and not, as may be
supposed, spoken of your people. For it is not possible for the seed of
Jacob to leave an entrance for the descendants of Jacob, or for [God] to
have accepted the very same persons whom He had reproached with unfitness
for the inheritance, and promise it to them again; but as there the prophet
says, 'And now, O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the
Lord; for He has sent away His people, the house of Jacob, because their
land was full, as at the first, of soothsayers and divinations;'(4) even so
it is necessary for us here to observe that there are two seeds of Judah,
and two races, as there are two houses of Jacob: the one begotten by blood
and flesh, the other by faith and the Spirit.
CHAP. CXXXVI.--THE JEWS, IN REJECTING CHRIST, REJECTED GOD WHO SENT HIM.
"For you see how He now addresses the people, saying a little before:
'As the gape shah be found in the cluster, and they will say, Destroy it
not, for a blessing is in it; so will I do for My servant's sake: for His
sake I will not destroy them all.'(5) And thereafter He adds: 'And I shall
bring forth the seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah.' It is plain then that
if He thus be angry with them, and threaten to leave very few of them, He
promises to bring forth certain others, who shall dwell in His mountain.
But these are the persons whom He said He would sow and beget. For you
neither suffer Him when He calls you, nor hear Him when He speaks to you,
but have done evil in the presence of the Lord. But the highest pitch of
your wickedness lies in this, that you hate the Righteous One, and slew
Him; and so treat those who have received from Him all that they are and
have, and who are pious, righteous, and humane. Therefore 'woe unto their
soul,' says' the Lord,(1) 'for they have devised an evil counsel against
themselves, saying, Let us take away the righteous, for he is distasteful
to us.' For indeed you are not in the habit of sacrificing to Baal, as were
your fathers, or of placing cakes in groves and on high places for the host
of heaven: but you have not accepted God's Christ. For he who knows not
Him, knows not the will of God; and he who insults and hates Him, insults
and hates Him that sent Him. And whoever believes not in Him, believes not
the declarations of the prophets, who preached and proclaimed Him to all.
CHAP. CXXXVII.--HE EXHORTS THE JEWS TO BE CONVERTED.
"Say no evil thing, my brothers, against Him that was crucified, and
treat not scornfully the stripes wherewith all may be healed, even as we
are healed. For it will be well if, persuaded by the Scriptures, you are
circumcised from hard-heartedness: not that circumcision which you have
from the tenets that are put into you; for that was given for a sign, and
not for a work of righteousness, as the Scriptures compel you [to admit].
Assent, therefore, and pour no ridicule on the Son of God; obey not the
Pharisaic teachers, and scoff not at the King of Israel, as the rulers of
your synagogues teach you to do after your prayers: for if he that touches
those who are not pleasing(2) to God, is as one that touches the apple of
God's eye, how much more so is he that touches His beloved! And that this
is He, has been sufficiently demonstrated."
And as they kept silence, I continued: "My friends, I now refer to the
Scriptures as the Seventy have interpreted them; for when I quoted them
formerly as you possess them, I made proof of you [to ascertain] how you
were disposed.(3) For, mentioning the Scripture which says, 'Woe unto them!
for they have devised evil counsel against themselves, saying(4) (as the
Seventy have translated, I continued): 'Let us take away the righteous, for
he is distasteful to us;' whereas at the commencement of the discussion I
added what your version has: 'Let us bind the righteous, for he is distaste
fill to us.' But you had been busy about some other matter, and seem to
have listened to the words without attending to them. But now, since the
day is drawing to a close, for the sun is about to set, I shall add one
remark to what I have said, and conclude. I have indeed made the very same
remark already, but I think it would be right to bestow some consideration
on it again.
CHAP. CXXXVIII.--NOAH IS A FIGURE OF CHRIST, WHO HAS REGENERATED US BY
WATER, AND FAITH, AND WOOD: [i.e., the Cross.]
"You know, then, sirs," I said, "that God has said in Isaiah to
Jerusalem: 'I saved thee in the deluge of Noah.'(5) By this which God said
was meant that the mystery of saved men appeared in the deluge. For
righteous Noah, along with the other mortals at the deluge, i.e., with his
own wife, his three sons and their wives, being eight in number, were a
symbol of the eighth day, wherein Christ appeared when He rose from the
dead, for ever the first in power. For Christ, being the first-born of
every creature, became again the chief of another race regenerated by
Himself through water, and faith, and wood, containing the mystery of the
cross; even as Noah was saved by wood when he rode over the waters with his
household. Accordingly, when the prophet says, 'I saved thee in the times
of Noah,' as I have already remarked, he addresses the people who are
equally faithful to God, and possess the same signs. For when Moses had the
rod in his hands, he led your nation through the sea. And you believe that
this was spoken to your nation only, or to the land. But the whole earth,
as the Scripture says, was inundated, and the water rose in height fifteen
cubits above all the mountains: so that it is evident this was not spoken
to the land, but to the people who obeyed Him: for whom also He had before
prepared a resting-place in Jerusalem, as was previously demonstrated by
all the symbols of the deluge; I mean, that by water, faith, and wood,
those who are afore-prepared, and who repent of the sins which they have
committed, shall escape from the impending judgment of God.
CHAP. CXXXIX.--THE BLESSINGS, AND ALSO THE CURSE, PRONOUNCED BY NOAH WERE
PROPHECIES OF THE FUTURE.
"For another mystery was accomplished and predicted in the days of
Noah, of which you are not aware. It is this: in the blessings wherewith
Noah blessed his two sons, and in the curse pronounced on his son's son.
For the Spirit of prophecy would not curse the son that had been by God
blessed along with [his brothers]. But since the punishment of the sin
would cleave to the whole descent of the son that mocked at his father's
nakedness, he made the curse originate with his son.(1) Now, in what he
said, he foretold that the descendants of Shem would keep in retention the
property and dwellings of Canaan: and again that the descendants of Japheth
would take possession of the property of which Shem's descendants had
dispossessed Canaan's descendants; and spoil the descendants of Shem, even
as they plundered the sons of Canaan. And listen to the way in which it has
so come to pass. For you, who have derived your lineage from Shem, invaded
the territory of the sons of Canaan by the will of God; and you possessed
it. And it is manifest that the sons of Japheth, having invaded you in turn
by the judgment of God, have taken your land from you, and have possessed
it. Thus it is written: 'And Noah awoke from the wine, and knew what his
younger son had done unto him; and he said, Cursed be Canaan, the servant;
a servant shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the Lord
God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. May the Lord enlarge Japheth,
and let him dwell in the houses of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.'(2)
Accordingly, as two peoples were blessed,--those from Shem, and those from
Japheth,--and as the offspring of Shem were decreed first to possess the
dwellings of Canaan, and the offspring of Japheth were predicted as in turn
receiving the same possessions, and to the two peoples there was the one
people of Canaan handed over for servants; so Christ has come according to
the power given Him from the Almighty Father, and summoning men to
friendship, and blessing, and repentance, and dwelling together, has
promised, as has already been proved, that there shall be a future
possession for all the saints in this same land. And hence all men
everywhere, whether bond or free, who believe in Christ, and recognise the
truth in His own words and those of His prophets, know that they shall be
with Him in that land, and inherit everlasting and incorruptible good.
CHAP. CXL.--IN CHRIST ALL ARE FREE. THE JEWS HOPE FOR SALVATION IN VAIN
BECAUSE THEY ARE SONS OF ABRAHAM.
"Hence also Jacob, as I remarked before, being himself a type of
Christ, had married the two handmaids of his two free wives, and of them
begat sons, for the purpose of indicating beforehand that Christ would
receive even all those who amongst Japheth's race are descendants of
Canaan, equally with the free, and would have the children fellow-heirs.
And we are such; but you cannot comprehend this, because you cannot drink
of the living fountain of God, but of broken cisterns which can hold no
water, as the Scripture says.(3) But they are cisterns broken, and holding
no water, which your own teachers have digged, as the Scripture also
expressly asserts, 'teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.'(4) And
besides, they beguile themselves and you, supposing that the everlasting
kingdom will be assuredly given to those of the dispersion who are of
Abraham after the flesh, although they be sinners, and faithless, and
disobedient towards God, which the Scriptures have proved is not the case.
For if so, Isaiah would never have said this: 'And unless the Lord of
Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah.'(5)
And Ezekiel: 'Even if Noah, and Jacob, and Daniel were to pray for sons or
daughters, their request should not be granted.'(6) But neither shall the
father perish for the son, nor the son for the father; but every one for
his own sin, and each shall be saved for his own righteousness.(7) And
again Isaiah says: 'They shall look on the car; cases(8) of them that have
transgressed: their worm shall not cease, and their fire shall not be
quenched; and they shall be a spectacle to all flesh.'(9) And our Lord,
according to the will of Him that sent Him, who is the Father and Lord of
all, would not have said, 'They shall come from the east, and from the
west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom
of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer
darkness.'(10) Furthermore, I have proved in what has preceded," that those
who were foreknown to be unrighteous, whether men or angels, are not made
wicked by God's fault, but each man by his own fault is what he will appear
to be.
CHAP. CXLI.--FREE-WILL IN MEN AND ANGELS.
"But that you may not have a pretext for saying that Christ must have
been crucified, and that those who transgressed must have been among your
nation, and that the matter could not have been otherwise, I said briefly
by anticipation, that God, wishing men and angels to follow His will,
resolved to create them free to do righteousness; possessing reason, that
they may know by whom they are created, and through whom they, not existing
formerly, do now exist; and with a law that they should be judged by Him,
if they do anything contrary to right reason: and of ourselves we, men and
angels, shall be convicted of having acted sinfully, unless we repent
beforehand. But if the word of God foretells that some angels and men shall
be certainly punished, it did so because it foreknew that they would be
unchangeably [wicked], but not because God had created them so. So that if
they repent, all who wish for it can obtain mercy from God: and the
Scripture foretells that they shall be blessed, saying, 'Blessed is the man
to whom the Lord imputeth not sin;'(1) that is, having repented of his
sins, that he may receive remission of them from God; and not as you
deceive yourselves, and some others who resemble you in this, who say, that
even though they be sinners, but know God, the Lord will not impute sin to
them. We have as proof of this the one fall of David, which happened
through his boasting, which was forgiven then when he so mourned and wept,
as it is written. But if even to such a man no remission was granted before
repentance, and only when this great king, and anointed one, and prophet,
mourned and conducted himself so, how can the impure and utterly abandoned,
if they weep not, and mourn not, and repent not, entertain the hope that
the Lord will not impute to them sin? And this one fall of David, in the
matter of Uriah's wife, proves, sirs," I said, "that the patriarchs had
many wives, not to commit fornication, but that a certain dispensation and
all mysteries might be accomplished by them; since, if it were allowable to
take any wife, or as many wives as one chooses, and how he chooses, which
the men of your nation do over all the earth, wherever they sojourn, or
wherever they have been sent, taking women under the name of marriage, much
more would David have been permitted to do this."
When I had said this, dearest Marcus Pompeius, I came to an end.
CHAP. CXLII.--THE JEWS RETURN THANKS, AND LEAVE JUSTIN.
Then Trypho, after a little delay, said, "You see that it was not
intentionally that we came to discuss these points. And I confess that I
have been particularly pleased with the conference; and I think that these
are of quite the same opinion as myself. For we have found more than we
expected, and more than it was possible to have expected. And if we could
do this more frequently, we should be much helped in the searching of the
Scriptures themselves. But since," he said, "you are on the eve of
departure, and expect daily to set sail, do not hesitate to remember us as
friends when you are gone."
"For my part," I replied, "if I had remained, I would have wished to do
the same thing daily. But now, since I expect, with God's will and aid, to
set sail, I exhort you to give all diligence in this very great struggle
for your own salvation, and to be earnest in setting a higher value on the
Christ of the Almighty God than on your own teachers."
After this they left me, wishing me safety in my voyage, and from every
misfortune. And I, praying for them, said, "I can wish no better thing for
you, sirs, than this, that, recognising in this way that intelligence is
given to every man, you may be of the same opinion as ourselves, and
believe that Jesus is the Christ of God."(2)
Taken from "The Early Church Fathers and Other Works" originally published
by Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. in English in Edinburgh, Scotland beginning in
1867. (ANF 1, Roberts and Donaldson.) The digital version is by The
Electronic Bible Society, P.O. Box 701356, Dallas, TX 75370, 214-407-WORD.
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